


Protect You, Always

by DayLightDove



Series: Always [1]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Drama, Family, Fatherly!Satan, Younger!Rin, Yukio is older, au-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-04-16 22:44:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 37,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4642818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayLightDove/pseuds/DayLightDove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At seven years old, Yukio promised to protect the last remaining member of his family, his baby brother. Eight years pass and he's kept that promise ever since. By being an exorcist, he can protect his brother from the demons that come to Assiah in search for him, but with his demon powers locked away, Rin knows nothing about his demon side. But the simple protection turned into a challenge when the seal on the sword of which his power was locked in weakens. Can he keep his brother safe from not only demons but exorcists as well?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> To any of you who know of my story "Taken" and the Satan within that story, the Satan will be like that. If you do not know of that Satan you can either wait to see how he acts or you can figure it out with a small glance at "Taken" You don't have to read it if you don't want to, just saying.  
> Also, Yukio and Rin are brothers, just only Rin was born from Satan. Yukio is older. I think this is all.  
> Onto the chapter!

A seven year old boy crept along the halls of his home towards the arguing that he could hear from his room. This child with teal eyes and brown hair was known as Yukio Okumura, son of Yuri Egin. He never knew his father, or at least doesn't remember him, for the man had passed away soon after he was born. Since then, his mother had them stay with a close friend of hers, Shiro Fujimoto.

They boy had been sitting within his room after his mother had told him to go there but when shouting began to reach his ears, though the words not entirely clear, his curiosity called for him to investigate. He tiptoed through the halls until he was next to the door way to the room Shiro and Yuri had been left in. He poked his head in and reframed from fleeing at the harsh tones and the risk of being caught.

"I can't even believe you even considered doing this!" Shiro shouted at the brown haired woman, Yuri. "Let alone the fact you chose to do this! You could be killed!"

"But that will only happen if you happen to report this to the Vatican Mr.  _Paladin._ " She spat her own teal eyes narrowing.

"But don't you realize how bad this is?!" He shouted. "This is a demon and not just any demon, the child of Satan!"

Yukio's eyes widened at the words. Yes he knew what demons were, how could he not when his family are all those who specialize in ridding Assiah, as he was told Earth was called, of demons. However, just because Yuri was an exorcist didn't mean she didn't have other opinions. He was always told different things from his mother and Shiro. His mother would tell him that not all demons were bad while Shiro would explain they had to eliminate them before they could cause any harm. And then there was that other thing he heard. The son of Satan? From what he knew, Satan was a really bad demon that caused lots of pain.

"But how do you even know he'll be bad?!" Yuri shot back drawing Yukio from his thoughts. "With proper love he could be a very nice boy or girl."

"This goes against everything we fight for!" Shiro exclaimed. "The Vatican will have your head, Yuri they'll kill it and you if you go through with this!"

She crossed her harms. "I've made my decision Shiro and nothing will change my mind. If they want this child they have to go through me to do it."

"And what about Yukio? If you're gone…"

"I know you'll look after him. Besides, he'd make a great older brother." Yukio gasped at this and that gave away his hiding spot. He quickly hid behind the wall in hopes that he could still hide from their sights but that was proven useless when he heard his mother call out his name.

"Yukio, can you please come here sweetie?" Yukio bent his head to look at the ground as he obeyed his mother's orders. He shuffled into the room, afraid to look up in fear that there would be a look of disappointment. "Yukio please look at me." He did so hesitantly. However, instead of seeing what he feared would be there, Yuri was giving a soft and gentle smile to her son. "Did you hear what we were talking about?"

Yukio nodded his head slightly.

"Do you want to say anything about what you heard?"

"Am I really going to be a big brother?"

Yuri smiled and knelt down to his height, placing her hands on his shoulders. She ignored the glare Shiro gave when she answered the child's question. "Yes Yukio, and you'll be a great one."

At first, the young boy couldn't wipe the shocked look off his face but then he gave a determined nod. He would make his mother proud. Yuri smiled at her son and embraced him in a hug before pulling away and asking what he wanted to do. As they went off to play, Shiro watched them go with a somber expression. What was she getting herself into?

Days slowly passed by and those days turned into weeks and weeks into months. The baby within Yuri began to show as those days moved forward. Yukio grew excited when he heard that his little sister or brother would be arriving soon. However, about a month away from both the baby being born and Yukio's birthday, Shiro was visited by an old friend.

Yuri knew who this man was, Mephisto Pheles. He was the headmaster at the school for exorcists and for a high school known as True Cross Academy. He informed Shiro that the Vatican knew of the child Yuri was carrying. It wasn't long until Yuri told Yukio that she was leaving for a bit and that Shiro was to look after him until he came back. Yukio had begged and pleaded for her to not leave him, not so close to his birthday, but Yuri told him she would be back soon.

And, when it was the day of Yukio's eighth birthday, did Shiro leave to go after Yuri. Yukio expected him to come back with his mother and they would have fun on this day. However, when he saw Shiro return, not with his mother, but with a bundle of blankets and a sword did he figure it out. It wasn't that hard, Yukio was a clever child and, while he didn't have all the pieces, could put together some of the puzzle.

Within Shiro's arms was the little sibling his mother had told him about. He was excited and bounced over to Shiro to look down at the smiling baby. It was a boy, a little brother. But then he asked where his mother was and he watched as Shiro shifted the bundle in his arms. Shiro said that she wasn't going to come home for a while, for a long while. At first, he was confused. Why wouldn't his mom be coming home to see him? But then Shiro said that she was with his dad, that she was an angel now.

And it all came together within his small but brilliant mind. But that didn't mean he'd accept it.

He screamed and denied it. He cried saying she'd come back for him. Tears streaked down his cheeks as he shook with denial. Shiro just tried to calm him, saying everything would be alright. But how could it be? Who would look after him and his little brother? He turned to look at the bundle, the one person in his family who wasn't with the angels. He'd protect him, keep him safe from harm.

He swore to protect him, always.


	2. Chapter 2

Yukio sighed as he walked down the halls of True Cross to the headmaster's office. It's been about two weeks since he started school at the academy and left his home at the monastery. During that time he had been flooded with work, not just because of his actual school classes but because of cram school as well. You see, after that night when he promised to protect his younger brother, he started studying hard about exorcism and even convincing Shiro to let him start classes. Because of his bright mind at such a young age, it wasn't long before he achieved his meisters and soon became ranked as a Middle First Class Exorcist. At such a young age too. Currently, the fifteen year old was in charge of teaching Anti-Demon Pharmacology at the cram school after the usual school hours.

However, the young exorcist had been called down to the headmaster's office for an unknown reason. But then again, he never really felt he could trust the headmaster, even if he has known him for a few years. He finally reached the door to the office and, with a deep breath, opened it.

"Ah, Mr. Okumura, how nice of you to join us." The headmaster, Mephisto Pheles, greeted as Yukio entered the room. Yukio was about to reply to him when he suddenly caught the words Mephisto said. Us? Who else was-?

"Ah, there's my bright young exorcist!" Shiro said as he held out his arms for a hug. When Yukio didn't move, to busy staring in surprise at the sudden appearance of his caretaker for the past eight years, Shiro moved and gave him a hug himself.

"S-Shiro?" Yukio question when he pulled away. He never did get comfortable with calling him dad like his brother did, though he did do it around him to save the younger confusion. "Why are you here?"

"Can't I just come and visit you as a surprise? Or did you just not want to see me?" Shiro laughed.

"No, it's just unexpected." Yukio replied. "Besides, if you wanted to just visit and talk you could have called me and not meet up in Sir Pheles' office."

"Eh, you got me there." Shiro chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then I do believe you should tell us what brought you here, don't you agree?" Mephisto asked with his usual smirk.

Shiro sighed and took a seat in one of Mephisto's chairs. "Alright. The reason I came today is because, I think Rin needs to come stay at True Cross. For protection that is."

"What? Why?" Yukio asked. He always knew they wanted Rin to live like a normal kid, so why send him to True Cross.

"The seal's weakening." Shiro answered simply. "I don't want to risk something happening and demon's to start hunting him down. At least here, he'll have more protection then at the monastery."

"And where would an eight year old stay on my campus, Shiro?" Mephisto asked.

"I figured he could stay with Yukio." He replied. "I mean he'll still go to school so that won't be a problem for Yukio's classes and as for an exorcist jobs he could either stay by himself or with you, Mephisto. Maybe even come back to the monastery if it's a long mission." Then he frowned at Mephisto. "Besides, you said if something like this came up you would look after him as long as he was still human."

Mephisto hummed. "Yes, I suppose I did didn't I."

Shiro turned to Yukio. "Are you alright with this Yukio? I understand if you're busy with school and such."

"It's alright." Yukio answered. "Besides, I promised to protect him and I won't back out on my word."

Shiro smiled at him. "You really are a great older brother, you know that. Your mother raised you right."

"Then it's settled!" Mephisto spoke up with a clap of his hands getting the two to look at him. "Young Rin will come to stay at True Cross as of tomorrow. Shiro, you can just drop him off here tomorrow and Yukio can pick him up after his classes."

"Great!" Shiro cheered.

"Er…Sir Pheles, where exactly would I take my brother?" Yukio asked. "I don't think it would be right to bring him to the male dormitories-"

"Don't worry Mr. Okumura," Mephisto cut in. "I'll have that all ready for you tomorrow. For now, you should head back to your dorm and pack up so you don't have to do so later. Until then." With that both Shiro and Yukio left the office with Mephisto smirking after them. When Yukio go to his dorm room, which he had all to himself, he started putting things back into his suitcase as well as packing up other things that he wouldn't need tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

"Whoa!"

Shiro chuckled when he heard the gasp from the back seat. He was currently driving Rin to True Cross after picking him up from school and the eight year old was oohing and aweing at the sight of the city. He had told the boy that he was going to go visit Yukio and even stay with him for a while since he had some things to do. Thankfully, Rin had believed the half lie but that may also be because he told him he got to go visit his older brother after all this time away from him. The boy had quickly packed up his things, Shiro having to remind him to take a majority of the things packed, and after the older man had grabbed a few things of his own, they were off.

Shiro took a moment to glance in the mirror to look at the boy. It's hard to believe that the two are brothers, seeing as they looked so different. While Yukio took after Yuri's looks with his teal eyes, brown hair, and three moles on his pale face, Rin didn't. The younger brother had dark, almost black hair with a blue shine, pale skin, and intense blue eyes. However, that didn't mean he didn't take after his mother, even if he never met her. No, Shiro found that the young boy acted a lot like his mother had, sporting the same confident and caring attitude that she did.

It wasn't long until they reached the boarders of True Cross and they got out of the car after it was parked. Shiro went to get the bags out of the trunk while Rin simply bounced where he stood, sparkling eyes glancing at one thing to another.

Shiro chuckled again. "Come on Rin, we have to get moving." Rin didn't respond, he just kept gazing at the city with his wide blue eyes. Shiro just shook his head with a smile before reaching out to grab the boys arm. That seemed to bring the eight-year-old back to reality as he shot his wide gaze at the older man.

"Can we go look around the city?!" He pled with a loud voice.

"Maybe Yukio will take you later," Shiro responded, "But right now we need to go visit my friend and Yukio will met us there."

"Ok!" Rin cheered, at least he'll get to see the city! Shiro led the boy to the main school, which was luckily empty by now since school was done for the day, and came up to one of the doors. He took out a ring of keys and put one in a random door in the hall. He turned it with a click and when he opened it, he led Rin inside, following with the boy's bags.

When he came into the office, he found Rin was already looking around the room in curiosity. "Hey dad," He called looking over to Shiro. "Whose room is this?"

"It would be mine." They both turned to see Mephisto standing there with a smile on his face. Shiro gave a nod in greeting while Rin blinked in confusion.

"A clown?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

Mephisto gave a short laugh while Shiro frowned at the young boy. "Now Rin, it isn't nice to call people clowns-"

"Oh, it's quite alright Shiro. While the boy should know his manners, I'll let this pass." Mephisto responded as he stepped forward causing Rin to tense visibly under his eyes. "So you're the younger Okumura, yes?" He received a nod. Mephisto clapped his hands and continued. "Wonderful!"

"Do you have everything set up Mephisto? A place to stay? Transportation?" Shiro asked.

"Of course I do. He'll stay with Yukio in an old dormitory that they'll have all to themselves and I have the transportation for school all set up as well." Mephisto answered. "You have nothing to worry about Shiro."

"I'll be staying with Yukio?" Rin asked before turning to Shiro. "What about you dad?"

"I won't be living with you and Yukio." Shiro answered. "Remember, I told you before we left that you'll be staying here for a while."

"Oh." Rin mumbled before asking, "Do I still have to go to school?"

Shiro chuckled. "Yes, you still have to go to school." He let out a loud laugh at the pout that formed on the boy's face. "What's that face for?"

"I don't want to go to school, everyone there are jerks." Rin huffed.

"And why is that?" Mephisto asked before Shiro could say anything, getting a glare from him.

"They call me names and pick on me." Rin answered. "They call me a demon."

"A demon huh?" A smirk appeared on his lips and Shiro just wanted to slap it off his face. Meanwhile, Mephisto couldn't help but find the irony in the statement. Oh if only the boy knew. He studied Rin's face for a moment before noticing something hidden beneath the messy dark hair of the young boy. He reached a gloved hand forward and, moving one of the strands that fell beneath his left eye, and found a cut upon his cheek. "Did you get this from them?"

At the sight Shiro's eyes widened as he both silently scolded himself for not seeing the injury and yelling at Rin, "Did you get into another fight?! What did I tell you about doing that!?"

"But it wasn't my fault!" Rin shouted back with clenched fists as he began to explain. "It was recess and they came up to me and started calling me names! And when I tried to stop them they didn't listen and one of them threw something at me so I hit them back! Then the teacher only yelled at me and…and…it wasn't my fault!"

"Why didn't you get the teacher?"

"Because they never listen to me either!"

"But you didn't have to respond by hurting them as well!"

"Now, now calm down you two." Mephisto spoke up getting them to be quiet. He suddenly had a band aid in his hand and he placed it on the cut. "Now, while I agree it isn't right to respond with an attack, you shouldn't shout at the boy since it wasn't his fault to begin with. Now, both of you apologize to each other."

Shiro and Rin both blinked at Mephisto before looking at each other. After a few silent seconds they both mutter an "I'm sorry" Earning a joyful clap from Mephisto.

"Wonderful! Now, I believe we have finished business here. Rin, why don't you say goodbye then I'll escort Mr. Fujimoto out."

Rin sighed before turning to Shiro with a frown on his face. "You'll come back, right dad? You're not leaving forever, right?"

Shiro gave him a gentle smile as he knelt down, seeing as the boy was really only up to his stomach, to look him in the eyes. "I'm not leaving you for good Rin and I'll come and visit, alright?" Then he ruffled the boy's hair earning a shout of protest from the boy and a chuckle from the adult. Soon Mephisto was helping Shiro leave before he turned to the young boy left in his office.

 _'So this is my young brother, interesting.'_ He mussed within his mind. He was curious as to where the boy would go in the future, especially with his powers already trying to break through the seal. He'd have to keep a close eye on him.  _'What an interesting game this will make.'_

"So," Rin spoke up. "How do you know my dad?"

Mephisto softly chuckled, if only he knew. "We're old friends, he and I."

"When does Yukio get here?"

"Not for a while I'm afraid. Until then, is there anything you have to do?" Rin shook his head. Mephisto hummed before looking around his room trying to find something for the child to do.

As he thought about it, he didn't notice the board eight-year-old glancing to the door of his office before sneaking over to it and opening it. He saw an unfamiliar hallway outside it and, curiosity getting the better of him, Rin opened the door enough to squeeze through it and ran down the hall. When Mephisto glanced back to where Rin had stood, only to find him gone, he sighed.

"You're going to be a handful, aren't you little brother."

* * *

Rin gazed at all the doors as he walked down the hall. He didn't recognize this place, seeing the checkered floor and the many doors lining the walls. He knew that there was the door way that he and Shiro had come through, but it must have been a different door since this didn't look like the hallway they had walked through before.

With such a strong sense of curiosity running through him, Rin went up to each door and opened, or tried to open seeing as some were locked, each one to peek inside. Sometimes he'd catch sight of an empty room while other times he'd see someone inside and instantly move away. He wasn't keeping track of how many doors he'd opened but soon he was opening up one and he froze when he saw a familiar figure inside the room.

Then he slammed open the door and ran in.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a regular day for Yukio that morning. He had gone about his classes as usual the difference being that, after cram school, he wouldn't be heading back to the dorm. No, instead he'd be picking up his little brother to stay with him for the time being. He had been thinking about what was to come at the end of the day and it filled him with feelings of nervousness and excitement. He had no idea what would happen once he had Rin living here, and he could only hope he'll be safer here than at the monastery with his powers trying to break through the seal.

Pushing those thoughts away, Yukio continued on with his day, everything the same as always. That is, until Cram School.

Yukio had been in the middle of lecturing his students on plants that could cure certain poisons from demons when he heard the door to the classroom open. However, he didn't have much time to see what it was before a small blur came dashing at him and clung to his waist, almost knocking him down from the force.

"Yukio!" The blur cried and Yukio looked down to see Rin with his arms wrapped around his waist and hugging him.

"Rin?!" Yukio cried in shock as he stared down at the young boy. "What are you doing here?!"

"Father brought me!" Rin said with a grin.

"Here?!"

"Well, no he brought me to a clown but he was boring because he said we had to wait for you." Rin said with a pout before his smile was back. "But you're here meaning we don't have to wait!"

"Rin…" Yukio stared down at his little brother unsure of what to say. He let his eyes look over his grinning face when he noticed a bandage under his eye and Yukio turned serious as he knelt down.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Nothing." Rin said looking away.

"Don't lie to me Rin." Yukio said sternly. "Did you get into another fight?! What did dad and I tell you abou-"

"But it wasn't my fault!" Rin exclaimed frustrated tears in his eyes at the thought of having his brother shout at him without listening or being on his side like Shiro was.

"Rin, that doesn't mean you get into fights!" However, before Yukio could say anymore, a cough got his attention, reminding him he was still in his classroom. Resisting the urge to face palm, Yukio turned his attention away from his brother and to his class.

"Mr. Okumura?" His star student, Ryuji Suguro, asked.

Yukio sighed. "Everyone, this is my younger brother, Rin. Rin, say hello." Rin remained silent, not looking at anyone as he continued to glare at the wall. "Rin."

The boy did let his eyes glance at the class before they widened at the sight of one teen. With a new smile on his face, Rin rushed over to stand before Suguro.

"Whoa!" He gasped. "You're so cool looking!" Rin was blabbering on as he jumped up and down in front of the star student who just stared back completely clueless.

"Uh…" He drew out. "…Thanks?"

"I'm Rin! What's your name?"

"Ryuji Suguro." Suguro answered.

"Hey there Rin!" Rin turned to see two other boys next to Suguro. The one speaking to him had pink hair while the other was shorter with glasses. "I'm Renzou Shima and this is Konekomaru Miwa."

"It's nice to meet you Rin." Konekomaru said with a bow. Rin blinked before giving a nod back to the other and let his eyes look at everyone again, noticing two girls had come over to join them, one with long purple hair pulled into twin tails while the other had short brown hair.

"Hello, I'm Paku Noriko." The brunette introduced herself and then pointed to the other female. "And this is my friend, Izumo Kamiki."

While Rin had been distracted by meeting everyone, Suguro had turned his attention to his teacher, who had been watching his younger brother meet his student.

"Er…Mr. Okumura, why is your brother here?" He asked getting the other to turn to him.

"Honestly, Mr. Suguro, he was supposed to stay with the principle until class was over, but it appears he had snuck away."

"Yes, but why is he here? At True Cross?" Suguro continued. He knew the other went to the Academy as a student, since he did as well, and figured he wouldn't be keeping him here at the dorms.

Yukio glanced at him, "I would advise you to stay out of my business. If it comes up in the future, I will tell you. For now, however, I don't think you need to know." Suguro didn't say anything more.

Yukio glanced at the clock and found class would be ending in a few minutes and decided that he would just let it end now to take care of Rin. He approached the group surrounding his brother and coughed.

"Class is dismissed for now." He said to his students before turning to as the class started gathering their things to leave. "Rin, stay here." Rin huffed but didn't say anything as he sat in one of the chairs. The class slowly left, each saying goodbye to both Yukio and Rin, before it was just the two of them left.

It was quiet as Yukio collected his things and Rin just swung his legs as he sat in the chair, when one of them spoke.

"Hey Yukio?" Rin called to his brother. "Are you, like, a teacher or something?"

Yukio stopped what he was doing to look at the eight-year-old. "What makes you say that?"

"It's just that, you acted all teacher-y and stuff." Rin answered with a shrug.

"Well," Yukio thought about what to say before answering. "You are correct about that, but you don't need to worry. It's more like a club then anything and you won't have to worry about joining."  _'Hopefully'_ Yukio added as an afterthought.

"Okay." Rin replied.

Yukio finished up gathering his things and motioned to Rin. "Come on, we have to go back to Sir. Pheles." Rin scurried over to him as they entered the hallway when Yukio spoke again. "Oh, and Rin? Don't think this made me forget about what you've done."

Rin crossed his arms with a pout. "I knew that, I was just curious." Yukio hummed in reply. "You don't believe me!"

"I never said that."

Rin just gave a big huff and remained silent the rest of the way to Mephisto's office.

When they entered they were greeted by a loud, cheerful voice. "Ah! You found him!" They looked to see Mephisto smiling widely at the duo.

"You let Rin out of your sight in the first place." Yukio said, raising an eyebrow. "Did you even bother to look for him?"

"I looked, but why bother to interrupt you when you were in the middle of reuniting?" Mephisto replied, putting a hand to his chest as if he had been touched by the scene.

Yukio rolled his eyes before deciding to get to the point. "Sir. Pheles, I'd like to head home now to get Rin all unpacked, so would you kindly inform me as to where we will be living."

"Of course!" Mephisto replied, taking out a key for Yukio to take. "You'll be staying in the old dorm building since no one else lives there, meaning you'll have the whole place to yourselves." Rin smiled at that fact. "As for transportation, I'll take little Rin-"

"Oi! I'm not little!"

"To school and anywhere else if you're busy." Mephisto continued as if Rin never spoke.

"And what about food?" Yukio questioned. "It will be difficult with just my paycheck from teaching."

"Hm, yes I suppose." Mephisto hummed. "Then I guess I can supply you with food for now until you go buy your own."

"Will they be fresh?" Rin exclaimed with a bright smile on his face before turning to Yukio. "Hey, Yukio, do you think I could cook for us some time?"

"You like to cook?" Mephisto asked, obviously curious.

"Yeah!" Rin exclaimed. "I cook all the time for the guys at home and for dad! They say I'm great! Even Yukio said so before he left! Right Yukio?!"

"Er…yeah, I did." Yukio responded. He had forgotten about his brother's talent, and boy what a talent it was. He had started when he was about five years old and has improved since. He could honestly see Rin as a chef in the future.

"Does this mean I can cook for us?"

"Sure, I don't see why not." Yukio replied with smile which made Rin beam brighter. He turned back to Mephisto. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Mephisto tapped his chin in thought before giving them a big smile. "Nope! You may go now!"

Yukio gave him a nod and informed Rin to grab one of the bags of his things, since they had been left here for them to grab. The two of them grabbed Rin's luggage and left the room. They walked through the halls until they reached the courtyard with a large fountain in the center. Rin stared at it as they walked by and Yukio would have to usher him along when he would get caught up in his awe. The two continued moving until they were finally off the school grounds and on the city's streets. Rin would look at the building they passed and Yukio would silently chuckle at the awe on his face. It reminded him how truly innocent and clueless Rin was to all this.

Soon, after many minutes of walking and complaining from Rin, they reached the old dormitory. Yukio let them in and told Rin to go pick out a room. Rin nodded and dashed off. It was, surprisingly, not long before he had chosen one and Yukio helped bring all the luggage up. He decided to let Rin go off and explore, since he knew the younger wouldn't help with organization at all, and began to unpack. Upon opening the largest case, holding Rin's clothes, Yukio found a note on the top of it. Picking it up and opening it, he read what it said.

* * *

_Dear Yukio,_

_I've hidden the Kurikara blade within a case at the bottom of this bag. Rin does not know of this and I want you to hide it within a safe and hard to find place so that neither Rin nor anyone else find it._

_Hope you're well,_

_Shiro_

* * *

Yukio read over it a few more times before understanding sunk in. Shiro was trusting him with Kurikara, to keep it safe. Yukio felt a great sense of pride swell within him at the thought Shiro trusted him with Rin's complete life.

He moved the clothes away and soon found what the note had mentioned. A long box was at the bottom of the bag and Yukio gently lifted it into his hands. He saw a key taped to the top of the box and took it off to keep it with him. After placing down the box and hiding it, he began to put away Rin's things just in time to hear his feet patter into the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Yukio smiled at his brother's peaceful face as he slept on. He remembered Rin's excited face when he came running back into the room, eyes bright and wide with awe and joy. The boy had rapidly began to tell Yukio about everything he had seen and that Yukio had to come see the kitchen. The exorcist had smiled and stood up, following after his younger brother.

They had gone through several hallways until they reached the room the kitchen was in. Rin had rushed inside and was standing on one of the counters to get a closer look at the kitchen.

_"It's so much bigger than the one at home!" Rin gasped as he opened one of the cabinets._

_"Well, that would be expected, seeing as this is a dorm's lunch room." Yukio chuckled._

_"You mean, like, for more than two people?"_

_"Yes, but it will just be us living here. No one else." Yukio replied._

_"Wait, so the entire building is ours?! Really?!" Rin exclaimed._

_"Yes."_

_"Awesome!"_

After that, Rin had almost scouted out every place in the building, even finding a stairway to the roof. However, it didn't take long for exhaustion to replace his excitement as everything began to quiet down for the night. He had dragged his tired body to the room he was staying and, no matter how hard he tried to stay up, Rin fell asleep and Yukio tucked him in afterwards.

He had forgotten how adorable his brother could be and didn't realize how much he missed him after going off to school until he had him back. That thought made Yukio's smile drop. Why he was here. He turned around to look at the other bed in the room, the one Yukio would be sleeping in. He had hidden the Kurikara blade beneath his bed before placing a ward around it, hopefully hiding it from prying eyes.

He remembered when he hid it. Yukio had opened the case to look at the sheathed sword within. Upon it the seal had clearly shown signs of weakening, the edges of the paper singed by the fire that fought to escape and reach the younger Okumura. Yukio had not liked the sight of the weakened seal, but from what he had seen, it hadn't weakened any further. He could only be thankful for that.

He knew that the seal would eventually be useless at keeping Satan's flames locked within the sword but he didn't know how to strengthen it anymore then it was. There was Mephisto, but he didn't trust that demon's word on anything, let alone trust him with something this important.

Yukio could only hope, Rin would be safe within the borders of True Cross for the time being.

* * *

Rin blinked his eyes open at the sound of rustling cloths. He looked around the room, at first confused at where he was before he found his brother standing near the closet with a large coat on.

"Yukio?" Rin asked, rubbing his blurry eyes as he sat up. Yukio's head snapped up to face Rin and gave him a small smile.

"I didn't think you'd be up yet." Yukio relied.

"Yukio? What are you doing?"

"I just have to go out for a while Rin. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Rin furrowed his eyebrows. "But, it's the weekend. Why do you have to go anywhere?"

Yukio's eyes softened as he gazed at his brother. He could hear the unspoken words of pleading for Yukio to stay with him. "I'm sorry Rin but this is important. I have to go."

"But why? What's so special?" Rin asked.

Yukio quickly thought up a lie. "It's just something I have to do for school, ok Rin. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Can I at least make breakfast?" Rin pouted.

Yukio paused. He was about to deny his brother the offer but with another look at the boy, he stopped and nodded. "Alright."

The bright smile on Rin's face when he decided this just made Yukio feel better about his decision. Rin rushed down to the kitchen and began gathering all the ingredients that he'd need from the stocked up cabinets, most likely from Mephisto.

It wasn't long before a delicious smell was filling the building and Yukio couldn't help but admire his brother's gift. It seems he'd only improved since Yukio left, even if it hadn't been for long. Yukio sat down at the table and just waited for Rin to finish with his breakfast. When he did, Yukio was even gladder he had chosen to stay before he left for the mission.

When Yukio finally had to leave, he turned around to wave goodbye to Rin, who returned it. However, Yukio noticed a coal tar floating by and, instead of not noticing it, Yukio watched in horror as Rin waved it away like a fly. Even though it seemed to disappear from Rin's sight after one or two swats, it still left a pit of worry bubbling within Yukio. Yukio forced it down and, with one last smile at his brother, left.

Rin, however, had seen the quick flash of horror on his brother's face and it left him confused. What had scared his brother? Was it something he did? Rin didn't know. With a frown he turned back to the building and realized something.

What was he going to do until Yukio came back?

* * *

It seemed like hours had gone by and Yukio was still not back. Rin had undergone sever boredom and had been unable to get rid of it. He didn't know what to do! He had been hoping to spend the day with his brother, but that obviously wasn't happening. As much as he wanted to go exploring, he didn't know the place or the people. That, and he didn't want Yukio to yell at him for leaving without permission.

He was stuck.

Just then, he heard a soft noise from one of the windows. Getting up, he went over to the window and peaked outside. There, he saw something he didn't expect. There, sitting on the windowsill, was a black cat. It's yellow-green eyes gazed at him and there was a smile on the cat's face. There were yellow dots on the cat's head and two-two?!-tails waved behind it. Rin blinked before opening the window and letting the animal inside. The cat hopped inside and let out a happy meow at Rin.

"You're welcome?" Rin replied, unsure if it had been a "thank you". He noticed a collar upon the cat's neck and reached to grab it. It didn't have a name, but there was a red and blue gem on it.

"Where'd you come from?" Rin asked, scratching behind the cat's ears. The cat purred happily and gave another meow.

"I wonder what you're name is." Rin hummed. "Do you think I can guess?!" To his excitement and surprise, the cat nodded.

"Ok, um, kitty?"

A shake of the head.

"Bella?"

Another shake.

"Blacky?"

A shake but there was also something else in the cat's eyes that suggested it would be ok to be called that. After many names, Rin growled and thought hard about a name that suited the cat. It was then he heard a very, very soft and high voice speak a name. It was almost as if it had been whispered to him, or came from his mind but he shook it off.

"Is your name…Kuro?" The cat-Kuro-smiled brightly and hopped up and down. Rin smiled in return. "Well, Kuro, do you want to play? I"ve been bored all day!" Kuro nodded in return.

"Great!"

* * *

Yukio sighed as he got home in the late night. He had not expected for the mission to be as long as it had, but it appeared that it hadn't been just something with the garden. The demon had actually tried to possess the girl and it had been difficult to kill the demon without hurting the girl, but he did it.

He entered the doom room and was shocked by what he saw. Rin was asleep on his bed, but that wasn't what shocked him. No, it was the cat curled up on Rin's stomach. He knew that cat, it would be hard for him to  _not_ recognize it. It was Kuro, the cat sythe who was also Shiro's familiar. He wondered why the cat was here when suddenly, Rin shifted, waking both him and Kuro up.

Rin groaned as he and Kuro both stretched before opening his eyes to look at his brother.

"Yukio! Where were you!? You took forever!" Rin whined from the bed.

"I know, and I apologize but it seemed to be moe difficult than what I thought." He just got a pout. "I see you've made a friend." He gestured to Kuro. At this, Rin's expression brightened.

"Yeah! I was so bored when you left but then I met Kuro! He stayed with me since!"

"You know his name?"

"Mmhm." RIn hummed with a nod. "Why, do you know him?"

"Er…yeah, Kuro is dad's…cat. He let me take him here with me." Yukio replied, once again happy with the lie he was able to come up with.

"Why did dad never tell me about him?" Rin huffed.

"I don't know, maybe you can ask him when you see him again." Yukio answered.

"Alright, well, your food is in the fridge downstairs." Rin said with a yawn. "I'm going back to sleep." With that, he curled back up in bed with Kuro.

Yukio shook his head at his brother, but he still couldn't help the worry that was still in his stomach from earlier grow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will have plays from both anime and mange (especially the ones they both have) but at a certain point this is going to take another route that has nothing to do with either.

Rin laughed as Kuro tackled him when he heard a knock at the door. He froze before looking at Kuro.

"Should I get the door?" He asked the cat. Yukio was here at the moment but he was upstairs in his room, so that meant Rin was the closest. Kuro meowed in reply. "Ok!"

With that he ran to the door and looked out to see a teenage girl standing out there. She looked to be about Yukio's age and had blonde hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a pink kimono with flowers of different colors on it. She seemed surprised at Rin standing there.

"Oh!" She exclaimed with a soft voice. "Hello there! Um…is there a Yukio Okumura here?"

Rin tilted his head at her. "Why? What do you want with Nii-san?"

She squeaked again in shock. "Oh, so you're his little brother! I'm sorry, my name's Shiemi Moriyama. I'm a friend of your brother! I came here to thank him for helping me yesterday!"

Rin stared at her confused. He remembered Yukio saying he had to go work on a project, but maybe he was lying. Keeping that thought in mind, he asked. "What did he help you with?"

Shiemi seemed to hesitate. Rin just continued to stare at her as she thought about what to tell the child. She didn't know if he knew about demons and she certainly didn't want to be the one to introduce him to them. So she chose to tell him most of the truth.

"There was something in my grandmother's garden." Shiemi said. "It was causing trouble and I needed help getting rid of it because I couldn't bring myself to do so."

"So you got Yukio?"

"Yes."

"Why?" His sudden question caught her off guard.

"What do you mean?"

"It was your grandma's garden right?" Rin asked and he got a nod. "Then why didn't get rid of them yourself for her?"

"Oh, I wouldn't have been able to like Yuki could." Shiemi said shaking her head. "I-I don't have the skills he has."

"Rin just pouted at her, crossing his arms. "You love your grandma right?"

"W-Well yes, but-"

"Then stand up for her!" Rin exclaimed firmly. "She's family, you don't leave family."

Shiemi stared in shock at this young boy who staring up at her with so much seriousness that she was at a loss for words. This young boy seemed dedicated to sticking up for family and it amazed her.

The two just stared at each other for a few minutes, neither breaking eye contact when footsteps came up from behind Rin.

"Rin? Who's at the door and why didn-SHIEMI!" Yukio exclaimed as he came up behind his younger brother, his eyes widening at the sight of the girl. Chuckling nervously, he pushed Rin behind him and gave her a grin. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I wanted to thank you for yesterday!" Shiemi stuttered out nervously.

"Don't worry, it was nothing." Yukio said with a wave of his hand and a small smile. "I'd be willing to do again."

Shiemi gave her own smile before she suddenly gasped. "Wait, Yuki do you think, I could become a-" She cut herself off as her eyes glanced over at Rin. She again didn't want to say anything, unsure of whether or not Yukio was teaching Rin about demons.

However, Yukio, being as smart as he is, was able to catch on to what she was saying and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you sure you want to join Shiemi? I don't know how much you'd be able to handle what goes on."

"Yes, I want to!" Shiemi stated with a nod of her head. "I want to be able to help my family if I have to! To be stronger for my mom!"

Yukio was suspicious about this sudden change in his friend but nodded anyway. "Then you're free to join. We'll talk more tomorrow at your place and I'll help you get inducted in."

"Thank you!" Shiemi said with a deep bow. "See you tomorrow!" With that she turned and left.

Yukio let out a sigh before closing the door and turning around to find Rin standing there with his arms crossed and watching him.

"Yes?" Yukio asked raising an eyebrow at his brother.

"You lied to me!" Rin accused. "You're a liar, lair and your pants should be on fire!"

Yukio resisted a chuckle at his brother's words and instead asked. "And what makes you said I lied?"

"You said you were working on school work." Rin pouted.

"I did, I just visited Shiemi afterwords." Yukio replied.

Rin said nothing as he stared at him. "…"

"…"

"…Rin-?"

"Why didn't you just say you had a girlfriend?"

"What!?" Yukio exclaimed, staring at his brother in horror. "NO! We're not-I mean…we're just friends!"

"Sure, Yuki" Rin said, smirking at his brother as he used the name Shiemi had been using.

"No, Rin, we've just known each other for a long time, ok?" Yukio said, continuing to defend himself. "We're simply childhood friends. We met around the time I was you're age."

At that Rin frowned. What was with all these secrets he seemed to keep finding out about. Dad had a cat he didn't know about, Yukio had a girl "friend" that he didn't know about as well as ran a club. He was really confused about all of this! Yukio seemed to have caught his expression as he called his name and Rin replied after a few seconds.

"Why do you and dad have so many secrets?" He asked looking down at the floor.

Yukio sighed before he knelt on the floor before Rin, placing his hands on the child's shoulders. "Look, we didn't mean to keep these things from you, they just seemed so little at the time, ok? If we would have remembered to, we would have introduced you."

Rin looked up at him. "No more secrets?"

"No more secrets." 'At least nothing this small.' Yukio thought. "And if something comes up, then I'm sorry for forgetting to tell you. Am I forgiven otouto?"

Rin seemed to contemplate this for a few seconds before giving a bright smile. "Ok! I forgive you!"

Yukio laughed, his brother could be too nice sometimes.

"But," Rin suddenly spoke up. "You need to make it up to me."

"Huh!" Yukio gasped, staring in shock at the young boy in front of him.

"Yeah!" Rin exclaimed with a cheeky grin.

"Ok, then." Yukio thought for a few moments before giving Rin a smile. "How about I get you some ice cream?"

"But you lied!" Rin whined. "I think it should be bigger!"

"Alright…" Yukio once again had to think about it for a few moments before he came up with an idea. Mephy Land! He could take him there one day when he found the time. "Ok, I know what to do but you have to wait a bit ok?"

"But Nii-san!"

"Trust me it will be worth it. Until then, how about you get ice cream today?" Yukio offered.

"Ok!" With that, Rin rushed off to get his shoes.

Yukio sighed in relief. He was silently thankful Shiemi had refused to say anything about demons to Rin and the fact he was still oblivious to his job as an exorcist. But he also knew he had to be careful with Rin here and he could only pray that he doesn't get caught up in anything like this.


	7. Chapter 7

The weekend had sadly come to an end meaning it was time to go back to school. Yukio didn't really mind this but Rin did. This meant he had to go back to school, back to the bullies that picked on him. Rin got dressed as slowly as he could, at least until he heard Yukio yell at him that he was going to be late for his ride to school.

The eight-year-old grumbled before running down the stairs and into the kitchen where Yukio was waiting for him.

"Are you ready to go?" Yukio asked as he grabbed the lunches Rin had made last night, giving one to his brother.

"Do I have to go?" Rin whined as he took the lunch but stopped when he got a look from Yukio.

"Yes," Yukio said. "You learn things at school. Now come on." He began ushering his brother out the door. Rin reluctantly followed his brother's lead and was about to complain even more when he caught sight of his ride.

"Is that a limo!?" Rin exclaimed as he stared at the pink vehicle before him. He looked to Yukio for the answer and got a nod of a head in return. Rin looked back at the limo and then frowned. "Why is it pink?"

"Why can't it be pink, my dear child?" A familiar voice spoke up. Rin jumped before turning to face the speaker and found a familiar clown-dressed man before him.

"Hello sir Pheles." Yukio greeted with a nod of his head.

"And good morning to you, Mr. Okumura. You should get a move on so you aren't late for school, don't you think?" Mephisto asked with a smirk. "I'll get your brother to school like promised."

"Of course." Yukio said, but Rin though there was anger in his brother's voice before he turned to look down at him. "Now, Rin, I want you to behave at school for me, alright? Please, don't get into any fights, ok?"

Rin was going to object, to point out it was never his fault but from the look his brother was giving him, he sighed and mumbled fine. Yukio gave another nod before giving one last look to Mephisto and walking away.

Rin watched his brother walk away with a frown. He never understood why his brother and father never bothered to listen to him when he tried to explain and that fact made him sad.

"Well, come on, we don't want to be late!" Mephisto's voice called to the boy as he opened the door to the limo.

"Ok." Rin mumbled before turning and entering the vehicle. His frown was soon replaced with a look of awe when he looked around the limo. He had never been inside of one before and to him this was the greatest thing ever.

"Woah!" Rin breathed as he crawled across the seats to look around.

"Could you please not crawl on the seats, I'd rather keep the leather clean." Mephisto said as he climbed in with the boy.

Rin huffed but sat down anyway and watched Mephisto as the car began to take off. They sat in silence for a while more before Mephisto finally wanted to know why the boy was staring at him.

"Yes?" He asked, turning to the boy.

"Why are you taking me to school?" Rin asked.

"Because your father asked me to." Mephisto replied giving the boy a smile. "Am I not allowed to do something nice for you and your father?"

"If you were nice you would take me away from school." Rin offered only to get a laugh in reply.

"That was a good attempt but I promised to help look after you while you stayed at my school." Rin huffed again in response, upset he failed at trying to convince the other. Deciding to give Mephisto the silent treatment, Rin stared out the window with his arms crossed. He, in a way, knew it was silly of him to pout over going to school but he couldn't help it.

It wasn't long before they reached the school and the limo stopped. Mephisto opened the door for the eight-year-old and waved to him as he walked out. Rin took a deep breath and looked around. All around him, other students were staring at him in shock and confusion, each whispering among themselves. Rin decided to ignore them to the best of his ability and trudged toward the entrance of the school.

None of the teachers had questioned him, apparently having been informed about how he would be dropped off and picked up so there would be no questions, and just joined the kids in watching him enter the school. He attempted to get through the day but he knew they were all whispering about him, questioning why he had been dropped off in a pink limo. He knew it wouldn't be long before more rumors spread about him, but Rin just tried in all his hardest to ignore the others.

At recess he was met with familiar taunts and attacks, added with some teasing remarks about why he had been dropped off by the pink limo. He fought back just as always, but that only seemed to fuel the fire of the attacks.

By the end of the day, Rin was just done with it all and wanted to go home and sleep. Mephisto had asked him about his day and Rin had answered with a simple fine. However, that didn't stop Yukio from seeing the few scraps on his hands when he got home.

"Did you get into another fight!?" Yukio exclaimed.

"It's not my fault!" Rin exclaimed. "They were picking on me! They were calling me names and stuff!"

"That doesn't mean you respond with violence! Control yourself Rin! And report them!"

"But no one listens to me!" Rin shouted. "Then what do I do?! Just let them pick on me!?"

"Just…" Yukio sighed. "Just go to your room." Rin gave a shout at him and stomped up the stairs to his room.

They next day was similar, only without the fight. Apparently Yukio didn't even want to talk to him that day, only talking enough to make sure he was taking care of himself. It seemed like the week would continue like that, the taunts and comments getting worse and there would be days that Rin did fight back and other times he didn't, it depended on the comments. Yukio was still upset when he came home from a fight but it wasn't until the last day of the week that Rin was finally fed up.

It had been the end of the day and he was waiting for Mephisto to come and pick him up when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Turning around, Rin was met with three of the bullies in front of him, the one at the front being Reiji Shiratori. He was only a year older than Rin was but he had fun picking on him.

His brown eyes gleamed with ill-will as he stared down at Rin.

"What do you want Shiratori?" Rin asked as he met the eyes of one of his bullies.

"I just was coming to see if your new family picked you up yet." He said with an evil smile.

"I don't have a new family." Rin huffed out, repeating words he had done many times this week.

"Really? Are you sure about that?" He asked. "Because we see that man pick you up all the time in the limo." He said. "Did your dad and brother finally get rid of you because they found out you were a demon? So they sent you away?"

"No! That's not at all true!" Rin growled at the other, taking a step toward him.

"Hey! Stay away demon!" Shiratori cried, backing away. "It was about time they sent you away!"

"Shut up!" Rin shouted at him.

"You're just a demon! A demon that nobody likes!" One of the boys with Shiratori taunted. Suddenly a rock flew through the air and hit Rin on the arm. He turned his watery glare to the other boy who had at some point picked up rocks to throw at him.

"Just go away!" Shiratori cried. "Go away and make everyone happy!" More pebbles and rocks followed that. Rin looked in the direction of the school, hoping a teacher would come out and help him but nothing like that happened. Then he looked at the direction of the road, hoping Yukio or Shiro would come and help him. They didn't.

With a sorrowful cry, Rin ran from his tormenters. He ran toward the park, a place he knew he would be safe. His ears rang with their words and the words from everyone this week. Tears fell from his eyes as he ran, trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears. He swiped away any bugs that floated before his vision. When he finally reached the swing sets he tripped and fell in front of it, scrapping his knees on the ground beneath it. He cried as he knelt there, loud, sad cries that told of his torment.

_"You're a demon!"_

_"Nobody likes you!"_

_"Go away and make everyone happy!"_

_"Why do you always have to get into fights!?"_

_"Run away!"_

_"AHH! Demon!"_

_"Control yourself!"_

_"I just…huh"_

_"Did your family get rid of you?"_

"SHUT UP!" Rin shouted with tears in his eyes as he slammed the ground in a furry. He continued to rage before he grew tried and curled into a small ball with soft whimpers escaping him lips.

* * *

Yukio huffed as he ran to the park. He had gotten the call from Mephisto and hand headed out immediately. Apparently Rin decided not to wait for Mephisto this time and had taken off. The director didn't know where he had gone so he had called Yukio who already had a guess of where he had gone.

When he finally saw the park in view, Yukio began to slow down and started calling out for his brother.

"Rin!" He called. "Rin where are you!? Rin!" He continued to call out for his brother and it wasn't until he reached the swings did he find him, curled up in a small trembling ball with his backpack scattered off to the side. Yukio's widened at the sight and ran once more toward his brother.

"Rin! Are you alright!? Rin!" He called as he knelt down beside his trembling brother.

"Go away." Rin mumbled making Yukio freeze in shock.

"Rin?"

"I said go away! Leave me here!" Rin cried into the ground.

"I'm not doing that." Yukio said.

"Why not?"

"Because you're my brother and-"

"It would be better if I just disappeared!" Rin cried letting his crying eyes shoot up to meet Yukio.

"Wha-?Why would you say that!?"

"Because it's true! I'm just a demon and I should go away."

"Never call yourself a demon!" Yukio growled at his brother forcing him up to meet his eyes but Rin struggled away.

"And why not!? It's what everyone calls me at school! All I do is cause trouble! Even to you!" Rin exclaimed, crawling away from his brother.

"What? No, Rin-"

"Why do you even care!?" Rin shouted at Yukio. "You don't even care about how I'm getting bullied at school! Dad probably even gave me to you so he didn't have to put up with me anymore! You don't care about me because I'm a demon!"

Yukio listened with wide eyes as his younger brother continued to shout at him, all of his hurt he felt spilling forth. His heart broke when he realized just how much he never helped his brother, only yelling at him for any trouble he caused and not listening to the other half and doing something about it.

Even now, as he watched Rin shout and scream at him, using both words to hurt Yukio as well as describe himself with the words others had spat at him. Finally unable to take it anymore, Yukio reached forward and pulled Rin into a hug. Rin squirmed and fought against him, but he seemed to hold back a bit, Rin remembering when Shiro had done a similar thing three years ago when he was raging in a classroom.

"Rin, listen to." Yukio spoke. "I'm and _so_ sorry that I ignored you and the people who pick on you. I never meant to hurt you. Dad never meant to hurt you. We both love you so much and we will make it up to you- _I_ will make it up to you. Alright?" Rin had stopped struggling and was no clutching Yukio's coat in his hands, tears spilling from his eyes once again.

"Ni-san?" Rin called out. "Am I a demon?"

"No otuoto. You're not a demon. I don't think you could ever be a demon." Yukio replied holding him even tighter. Rin clenched his eyes tight and held onto Yukio even tighter. As they hugged and Yukio comforted his brother, he couldn't help but think back to when his brother was raging. He remembered seeing the flicker of blue around his brother and the thought made him hold Rin even tighter.

He couldn't let Rin become a demon, he just couldn't.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey." Despite the greeting, Rin couldn't help but stare up in confusion at the group of teens standing in the doorway of his current home.

It had been a few weeks since his episode in the park, and since then Yukio had gotten Shiro to take Rin out of that school and Mephisto had kindly offered the supplies needed to homeschool Rin, of course he's mainly taking classes online since Yukio also had classes. Mephisto had offered up his services in teaching Rin for Yukio, but the exorcist didn't trust the other alone with his brother, especially since he knew Mephisto knew what his brother was. After all, he did seal his powers for him.

So Shiro took time when he could to come watch Rin, who was always happy to see him. Of course, he couldn't be there all the time since he was in charge of the monastery at home as well as the Paladin of the True Cross Order, meaning he didn't have a lot of time on his hands. So most of the time Yukio trusted Rin to stay home alone, silently telling Kuro to keep an eye on him, while Yukio dealt with his own school as well as the job as an exorcist.

Now, happened to be one of those times Yukio wasn't home.

"Hi?" Rin greeted back with a tilt of his head. It wasn't that he didn't recognize the people, he remembered them vaguely from the classroom he first saw his brother in when he came here. He could also see Shiemi in the group.

The boy with pink hair smiled at the young boy. "Hey, you're Mr. Okumura's brother, right? Do you think you could tell us where he is?"

Rin stared at him, slowly blinking, before shaking his head. "No. Yukio said he just had to go somewhere for a bit. Why?"

"Er...He was just supposed to meet us here as all." the pink haired boy said nervously, looking back at his classmates helplessly. Rin just watched them for a bit before looking back inside at Kuro, who tilted his head in return.

Looking back at the older teens that stood before him, Rin came to a decision. "Ok, come inside!"

"Huh?!"

Rin just blinked at all of them. "Come on in. You're waiting for Yukio right? I don't know when he'll be back but you can stay with me! Besides, I was just about to cook dinner for us, so you can all stay for that!"

"Are you sure?" Shiemi spoke up from the back, not wanting to cause any trouble for the little boy.

Rin just smiled. "Of course! Yukio told me that I shouldn't talk to people I don't know, but I know all of you so it's ok!" When he saw none of them were following him, he let out a long and loud groan and grabbed the person who was closest to him by the arm. "Come on!"

Shima stumbled as he was pulled into the house by the young boy, letting out a small yelp along with it. The others stared in shock before slowly following Rin inside as well.

* * *

Yukio let out a long and low sigh as he approached his home at the dorm. It had been a stressful meeting he just came out of and he couldn't pushed down the annoyance he felt for a certain headmaster much longer. He had gone to Mephisto in hopes that during the week of the exwire bootcamp, he could send his brother back to the monastery so he didn't have to risk Rin getting hurt or attacked by anything. Mephisto on the other hand explained that he would be unable to send Rin back to the monastery because Shiro would be unable to watch over Rin, claiming he would be in just as much danger there as he was here in that case. The only difference is that there would be exorcists here to defend Rin.

Of course, Yukio had no doubt Mephisto had something to do with the time that Shiro was gone on a mission for the Vatican and the bootcamp happening at the same time. The fact that Mephisto was even taking the chance to risk this also made him angry. There was no doubt that the older man was getting some sick enjoyment out of this.

He opened the door to the not-so abandoned dorms, unable to simply use a key to return incase Rin was anywhere nearby, and was met by the sound of his students complaining.

"Are you sure we can't start eating yet?! What about just a little taste?!" Shima's voice came from the dining area.

"No!" Rin's voice came as a whine back. "We have to wait for nii-san! He said he would be back by now so we could eat together!"

"Why did you make dinner so early then?" Suguro's voice chimed in, but it was still gentle so Yukio took slight comfort that the teen was smart enough to know he was talking to a child.

"Because then dinner would be ready when he came in and Yukio wouldn't have to wait!" Rin answered before. "Hey! Don't touch the food!"

"Aw come on-OW!" Shima cried out suddenly and there was a giggle from Rin. Shaking his head, Yukio decided to break things up before anything bad happened. He walked into the dining hall and found most of his students sitting in tables with the exception of Shima and Suguro who were walking away from the kitchen area. Rin was grinning brightly as Suguro pulled his friend away from the table and it brightened even more at the sight of Yukio.

"Nii-san!" He called happily from the kitchen window. "You're back!"

"Yes." Yukio said with a nod before raising an eyebrow at his younger brother. "And can you tell me what's going on here?" He motioned to the exorcists-in-training.

Rin shifted nervously on his stool that allowed him to look through the window between the kitchen and the dining room. "Well, they said they were looking for you, so I let them inside to eat."

Yukio continued to give him a pointed look. "What did I tell you about answering the door while I'm gone?"

"You said that I shouldn't answer the door." Rin muttered back.

"And why is that?"

"Because I shouldn't talk to strangers."

"Thats right." Yukio said with a nod. "So why did you answer the door?"

"Well," Rin hummed. "I looked out the window, because I wanted to see who it was and I know them, so it's ok! 'Cause you said not to talk to strangers, but I know them!" Rin suddenly lept off of his stool and into the dining room, pointing at the students at the table. "I know that's Shiemi, and...and...uh."

He trailed off, forgetting who the others were from only knowing their names from the brief meeting he had with them when he first came to True Cross.

Yukio smiled at his brother and his attempts to justify what he did. He watched as Rin looked down at the ground with a pout, trying to remember what each teens' name was. With a chuckle, he moved to his brother's side and crouched down so he could talk to him.

"How about you serve up dinner and then they will reintroduce themselves to you, ok?" Yukio said before ushering Rin into the kitchen. He motioned for his students to stay put as he helped bring out the dinner that his brother prepared. Looking down at the plates his brother prepared, he knew that the students would be shocked by the dinner they were about to eat.

Once everything was handed out at the table and they all gave thanks for their food, they dug in and the room was instantly filled with cries of pleasure at the taste.

"Woah!"

"This is great!"

"Will I be able to get seconds?!"

"This is delicious."

And so on.

Yukio smiled as he watched his brother blush beneath the praise and joy shown in his eyes. He could understand the shock his brother was experiencing. After all, the only people to have eaten his food and compliment him was family, never anyone who he had only met briefly.

"T-Thanks!" Rin thanked, shifting and smiling beneath their praise.

"I'm Shima Renzo, by the way, again." Shima introduced himself with a smile. "Er...sorry about earlier, it was just that the food smelled so good."

Rin smiled at him. "It's ok! I forgive you!"

Again, Yukio smiled. His brother was always so forgiving, even if it was someone trying to mess with something he loved. Now, he wouldn't say that Rin was always the kindest if his multitude of fights he's gotten into were anything, but he also knew those fights had been for moral reasons.

"My name is Konekomaru Miwa." Konekomaru said with a smile. "I would like to thank you for the food, it is very good."

"Yeah, I'm impressed." Suguro said but he shot the kid a grin. He remember how he had admired him back in the class and while it made him uncomfortable, making a kid upset would be worse, especially if he was the brother of their teacher. "I'm Suguro Ryuji."

Rin seemed to glow now. "Thanks! And...uh...you still look really cool."

Suguro rolled his eyes at the boy's behavior.

After that, Izumo and Paku bother reintroduced themselves along with giving their respective 'thanks yous' for the food. When they had all finished their meals, Yukio helped his brother clean up. Once that was over, he turned to his brother.

"Rin, how about you go with Kuro to go play for a bit, ok?" Yukio asked, "I need to talk to our guests but it needs to be private."

"Why?" Rin asked tilting his head.

"Because it's about that club that I run but you aren't part of it. Also, I think you'll get bored with the conversation." Yukio offered as an explanation.

"Ok." Rin consented before running off with Kuro following him.

"And no eavesdropping!" Yukio shouted after him before turning to his students that remained in the room. "Now, we need to go over a few things. I understand you are all here for the bootcamp. During this time, I had attempted to send my brother home so I could avoid his staying here clashing with the camp, but it appears I will be unable to do so."

He sighed before continuing. "This means you will all have to be careful around my brother, since he will still be here during this time. Thankfully there shouldn't be any need to exorcise a demon while within these dorms, but the fact remains I would like to keep my brother out of harm's way and from receiving a temptaint. I don't even want him knowing about demons or exorcists. Do I make myself clear?" He gave a glare to his students.

Suguro suddenly raised his hand and Yukio turned to him. "Yes?"

"If I may ask," Suguro began. "If you're having the camp, why don't you just move the camp somewhere else?"

"If I could, I would, but as of right now this is a good place to teach you without putting your lives in danger, since you're still learning. Also, the camp would require me to stay overnight with you all, but I can't leave Rin here alone for that long." Yukio answered, "Any other questions?"

Konekomaru raised his hand and after getting permission to do so, he asked. "If you don't want your brother around demons, why do you allow him to have a cat sidhe? Even if he doesn't know it's a demon, that doesn't change the fact that it still is one."

"Good question." Yukio replied. "This is because Kuro is a familiar of my guardian and is already adapted to living with humans. I also trust that Kuro will watch over Rin. Besides, he makes him happy. Anything else?" There were a few shakes of their heads. "Good, now, one last thing is that Rin believes we are an after school club. Because of this, if he asks a question about something pretend we are a study group of some sort, but nothing with much detail. Now that this is done, I will show you all were you shall be staying for the time being."

With that he led his students through the dorm halls. He was happy that his brother had not tried to listen in on their conversation and he was a little comforted by the idea that there will be six others there to help his brother if need be.

He led them up to the second floor which was the floor he and his brother slept on. He then pointed in each direction as he explained where each person would be sleeping.

"The girls shall sleep in the rooms of the hallway left of the stairs. You may choose any of the rooms as long as they are in that hallway. As for the boys, they will sleep in the rooms of the hallway right of the stairs. It is the same hallway my brother and I sleep in and I will show you which is our room and you can choose any of the remaining rooms." He recieved nods in reply before turning right to show the boys their rooms while the girls went to go find their own.

Yukio stopped in front of the door that was a little off of being the center of the hallway. "This is our room. You three may choose out of the ones remaining on this side. If you wish, there are two beds in each room, meaning two of you can dorm together or you can all have separate rooms. I will leave you all to unpack now." With that, he entered his own room and found Rin rolling on the floor with Kuro.

"Rin," He spoke up gaining the younger one's attention. "All those people we ate with today will be staying with us for a little while, ok?"

"So, more than just us will be here?" Rin asked.

"Yes, for about a week."

"Really?!"

"Yes." Yukio chuckled at his bright eyes.

"Cool!" Rin exclaimed before stopping. "Why?"

"It's just for the club I run, you don't need to worry."

"Ok!" With that Rin turned back to playing with Kuro. Yukio sighed as he watched his brother. Hopefully this camp could happen without any problems for either side, but he also knew that Mephisto was up to something he probably wouldn't agree with if he knew. But still, hopefully this week and the exam when it came could pass without any problems.

He could only hope.


	9. Chapter 9

"Alright, pencils down and hand in your tests." Yukio said, watching as a few of his students let out a few breaths when they put their pencils down. As he collected the papers, he let his eyes look towards the closed door, a little surprised his younger brother hadn't barged in at all on them. Today was the second day of their camp and since the first day Rin had enjoyed the company of the others, often searching for them when he either needed help with his work or just to play or talk to. He did sometimes ask them what they were doing when Yukio was teaching them, since he had closed the door, but they were usually able to get Rin off track of the original question easily.

He knows his brother is very happy to have more people to cook for, that's for sure.

"Come on Paku, let's go take a bath." Izumo said, standing up with Paku following.

"Oh!...Um...I...I think I'll go too!" Shiemi squeaked as she scrambled to stand up. Izumo gave her a look over her shoulder but otherwise continued towards the closed door. When they opened it, they watched as Kuro dashed inside with a soft meow. They watched as he dashed through the room and hid before the three girls continued to leave through the door.

"So...the girls are taking a bath, huh?" Shima said, leaning back where he sat with a smirk. "Maybe we should take a peak."

"Shima, you're a monk!" Suguro growled.

"Shima, your bad habits are showing." Konekomaru sighed, shaking his head at his friend's behavior.

"May I remind you a teacher is here?" Yukio spoke up making the others look at him. "Not only that but you are not allowed to do such behavior with my brother in the building."

"Oh come now Mr. Okumura." Shima said, standing up to lean against his teacher's shoulder. "I mean, you're a teen too! Besides, Rin will never know that you decided to-"

"Kuro!" They jumped at the sudden shout as quick footsteps came up to the now open door. "Kuro, are you in here?!" Looking over at the door, they watched as a smiling Rin entered, looking back and forth for the cat sidhe and running around the room. He pouted when he couldn't find the cat and turned to look at the four teens in the room.

"Do any of you know where Kuro is?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"No, sorry." Yukio said with a soft smile on his face, it growing a bit larger when his brother's pout deepened.

"You're not lying, are you?" The eight-year-old huffed.

"No, I'm not lying."

"Why don't I help you look for him?" Shima asked with a smile.

"Really!?" Rin exclaimed with a large smile now on his face.

"Yeah!" Shima replied. "I'll help you look everywhere!"

"Shima." Yukio warned, a dangerous glint shining on his glasses making Shima's sweat drop.

"Hehe, don't worry, I'll behave." Rin just continued smiling and reached forward to grab Shima's hand and started to drag him after him as he left the room.

"Come on! We have to find Kuro!"

Yukio smiled after them, unable to keep it off his face at his brother's energy and joy.

"He's just a ball of energy isn't he?" Suguro spoke up but when Yukio looked at him, he saw the amused look on his face.

"Yes, yes he is."

* * *

"I already checked this hallway though." Rin huffed as he and Shima walked down one of the halls.

"Hmm, well, maybe Kuro snuck past you." Shima said, ruffling Rin's hair when he saw the pout on his face. "Come on, I'm sure we'll find him." He was about to look in a nearby door when a scream from down the hall took his and Rin's attention.

"What was that?" Rin asked, about to go towards the screams only for Shima to stop him and crouch down so he could look Rin in the eyes.

"Rin, I need you to go get your brother and tell him what happened, ok?"

"But-"

"No buts." Shima said with a shake of his head. "Just go get your brother, ok?" When he got a nod from the young boy he smiled. "Good. Don't worry, everything will be fine." With that he let go of the boy's shoulders and dashed down in the direction of the screams.

Rin looked after him, wanting to go see what happened, before turning around and running back in the direction he and Shima had come from before hand. Running as fast as his short legs could make him, he ran into the room where a shocked Yukio, Konekomaru, and Suguro stared at him.

"Nii-san!" Rin exclaimed and he ran forward and began to tug his brother with him. "You have to hurry!"

"Rin? Wha-"

"Someone is scared!" He cried, pulling harder on his brother's sleeve. "Shima and I were walking down the hallway looking for Kuro when we heard someone scream!I think it was Izumo or one of them, but I'm not sure! Shima told me to get you and that everything would be ok and that it would be taken care of and you need to do something Nii-san!" Rin cried, tears appearing in his eyes from his emotions.

Yukio's eyes turned dark and he looked to Suguro and Konekomaru, motioning for them to go ahead of him. When they did, he knelt down before his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder., giving him a tight smile. "Don't worry, everything will be ok, alright? Just stay here while I go take care of it."

"Can I help?" Yukio shook his head.

"No, I don't want you to see anything bad or get hurt incase something bad happened, ok? Can you stay here and be brave for me?" Rin gave a nod in reply. "Good, now I'll be back. Stay here until it's clear."

With that, Yukio ran off, knowing pretty well where he would find his students. As he barged into the bathroom, he found his exwires holding back a naberius while Shiemi was tending to a wounded Paku and Izumo seemingly frozen on the spot. Pulling out his guns, Yukio didn't hesitate to shoot the demon that was attacking his students.

The bullets hit the creature and it let out a cry as it backed away before jumping over the shower wall and climbing through one of the high windows. While he was upset he hadn't been able to completely exorcise the demon, he brushed it aside to tend to his students.

"Yuki! I-I did what I could…" Shiemi trailed off and Yukio directed his gaze to Paku. He took in the quick patchwork job of first aid and nodded his approval.

"You did very well Shiemi. I doubt she would have been able to survive if it wasn't for your quick work." He looked to the rest of his students. "Is everyone else alright?"

"Yeah, the thing was only able to burn Paku before you showed up." Suguro answered with a grim look on his face.

"Where's Rin?" Konekomaru asked, worried for the young boy who couldn't see demons. "Is he safe? I know we weren't able to exorcise the demon, so if it's still here-"

"He should be safe if he listens to me." Yukio replied as he looked at all the teens here. One thing he noticed was that Izumo was nowhere in his sights. "But I shouldn't take the chance as well. Suguro, help me get Paku to her room. Shiemi, see if you can find Izumo. If you can't join me upstairs with aiding me with Paku. Meanwhile, can you go check on my brother, Konekomaru? He should still be in the room where I left him. I would like him to be safe, but Paku needs my attention at the moment. Shima, go with him just incase the demon is still around. Come and get me if anything happens."

They nodded in response to his orders and as Shiemi began to check the destroyed room for Izumo, Suguro and Yukio began to gently lift Paku into their arms. Shima and Konekomaru took one last look at them all before dashing out of the door of the girl's washroom

* * *

Rin sat on the low table in the room his brother had left him in, swinging his legs in boredom. He wanted to be able to help them, but he didn't know how. Plus, Yukio told him to stay here and that he would fix it, and while he trusted his brother, he was also scared. What if something happened? Everyone seemed so worried and he had no idea of what could have happened.

Rin shook his head. They would be fine. He trusted his older brother to fix things and to make sure everything was ok.

His eyes suddenly darted to the closed door when he heard a creak from outside of it. He waited when he heard another creak of the floorboards, expecting to see either Yukio or one of the other teens open the door and tell him everything was ok now. But, after a few seconds, when nothing happened, he tilted his head in confusion and hopped off of the table. Walking over to the door, he pulled it open slightly and peeked outside, only to be confused even more when he saw no one out side, yet he could still hear creaking.

"Hello?" He called out, opening the door wider and looking around the hallway for any sign of one of the others. "Nii-san? Is anyone there?"

Suddenly, he heard a shuffle to his left and for a moment his breath caught in his throat. Before him was a large creature that seemed to be made up of some rotting substance that was stitched together. A tar like substance dripped from it on occasion and it gave a low moan. A garbled language came from it, but Rin paid no attention to any of the words he could have almost made out as he was too afraid when it stepped towards him.

"AHHH!"

Rin turned around and slammed the door closed behind him. He listened, trying to see if there was any sign of the demon like creature standing outside of the door. He froze when he heard a shuffle and braced himself against the wall, terrified to open the door and see the creature again. That is, until he heard a soft meow on the other side of the door.

Eyes wide, he flung the door open and looked down at see Kuro sitting there with a tilted head.

"Kuro! Get inside quick there's a mon...ster?" His voice trailed off when he saw no sign of the creature, not even the tar substance that had dripped on the ground could be seen. If this should have comforted him, it didn't. He was still terrified because he had no idea what had happened to the creature and he began trembling where he stood. He wanted to be brave, but he didn't know how.

But he did know he wanted his brother.

"Y-Yu...kio." He whimpered out and he sat down near Kuro. Kuro meowed and bumped against him, trying to comfort the other. He had seen the naberius when he heard it coming down the hall and had destroyed it before it could hurt Rin, but he didn't know how to comfort the boy now. To tell him that everything was alright. He caught sight of a slight flicker of blue around the boy as he got scared and attempted to calm him down before something happened.

Kuro tried to let out soothing purrs and it seemed to start working until they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Rin tensed and Kuro growled beside him, ready to defend the young boy, when they both saw Shima and Konekomaru turn the corner and see them.

"Rin!" Konekomaru exclaimed as he and Shima ran over and knelt by the boy's side. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" They could see a little bit of the fluid that came from the naberius on the floor, but it didn't appear to be anywhere near by. Shima looked around and his eyes fell on Kuro who was besides Rin, seemingly not worried about danger being nearby.

"I'm scared!" Rin replied to Konekomaru, jumping up and clinging to his shirt. "There was a really big monster and it looked bad and had tar stuff and it tried to speak to me and come after me, so I hid and it was really really scary!"

A worried look crossed both of their faces and they exchanged a look before Konekomaru turned back to Rin and placed his hands on his shoulders, pushing him back slightly so he could look him in the eye. As much as they wanted to ask him where it went, they also promised Yukio they would try to keep these things from Rin.

"Don't worry Rin, I'm sure it was just your imagination." Konekomaru said, trying to sound convincing even though he didn't even believe what he was saying. "You were probably just scared for us so your mind started playing tricks on you."

"But I saw it!" Rin cried out.

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's alright." Shima said, dropping down besides them and getting Rin to look at him. "Is it still here now?"

"Shima-"

Shima held up a hand to stop Konekomaru's protest before continuing to look at Rin. "Do you see it anywhere or see any sign of it?"

Rin bit his lip before shaking his head. "No...it just vanished. It even took the gooey stuff too."

Shima smiled. "See, it was just in your head." But both he and Konekomaru were relieved that Rin couldn't see it or the remains of it. They could also see no signs of any wounds on the child so they could take comfort in that.

Rin remained silent after Shima's words before he clenched his eyes shut and mumbled something they couldn't here.

"What was that?" Shima asked.

"I...I want Nii-san." Rin whispered, not looking at them.

"That's fine." Konekomaru said with a soft smile, getting Rin to look at him. "We can take you to see your brother."

Rin gave a small smile before standing up on shaky legs.

Shima shook his head and gave Rin a smile. "That won't do, we want to find your brother quickly right?" He got a nod. "Then is it alright if I pick you up?" Another nod. "Ok, do you want a piggy-back-ride or for me to carry you?" He waited as Rin made his decision before the young boy held his arms up.

"...C-Carry me please." He stuttered out.

"Alright."

Shima bent down and picked the young boy up, placing a hand on his back when he gripped onto his shirt and placed his head in his shoulder. Konekomaru looked up at them with a worried face and Shima gave a slight smile in return.

"Lead the way Koneko."


	10. Chapter 10

Yukio sighed as he left Paku's room after having taken care of her wounds and given her a remedy to help her rest. He allowed Suguro and Shiemi to return to their own rooms and get some rest after this eventful night, so now he was just waiting for Konekomaru and Shima to return. He figured Izumo had gone somewhere for some time alone, so he didn't bother searching for her, especially since he's almost positive that the naberius was no longer in the building.

Footsteps approaching him made him look up to find Konekomaru and Shima walking towards him with Rin clinging to the pink haired teen and Kuro trailing behind.

"What happened?" He asked, worry evident in his voice as he approached the three.

Konekomaru opened his mouth to respond when a soft voice beat him to it.

"N-Nii-san?"

Yukio watched as his younger brother lifted his face from where he was hiding it in Shima's shoulder. His heart broke at the sight of the fear in his brother's eyes. Rin scrambled and jumped out of Shima's grip, and ran over to his brother who knelt down to embrace his trembling brother.

"Shh...it's alright Rin. Tell me what happened." Yukio said trying to comfort his brother as he rubbed his back.

"There was a big monster thing that growled a-nd...and walked towards me, b-but when I opened the door after hiding it was gone a-and...hic...I don't know where it went and they said it w-was not real! I'm scared Nii-san! Wha-at if it's st-till he-re an-"

"Shhhhh." Yukio hushed his brother, cutting off his rant. He looked to the two students before him and mouthed that he would explain later. They nodded in reply, sending one last worried look to the two brothers before disappearing to their own rooms.

"Come on, let's get you in bed, I'm sure you're tired." Yukio said lifting his brother up.

"No! Yukio! T-There was a monster!" Rin shouted struggling in his brother's grasp as he brought him to their shared room. "You have to believe me!" By now, Rin's eyes were shut and his face was scrunched up in fear, anger, and sadness.

Yukio placed his brother down on his bed quickly, taking notice of the soft blue flicker around his brother reacting to his emotions. It wasn't much and it went away rather quickly, but the sight of his brother's demonic heritage trying to break free was concerning in itself.

"Hey, hey calm down Rin, calm down...shhh...ok?" He spoke hastily, quickly trying to calm his brother down. "I believe you Rin, I do. That's what you saw right? A big monster?"

Rin sniffed and nodded his head.

"Ok, but was it really there though?"

"It was though! I saw it...It spoke to me and-"

"I know, I know." Yukio replied quickly calming his brother once more. "But you also said it was completely gone when you opened the door right?"

Rin looked down at his feet but nodded his head anyway. "Y-Yeah. I...I opened the door...and only...Kuro was there."

Yukio let out a soft, barely noticeable sigh of relief, thankful for the cat sidhe being here. He never really had it confirmed, but he had a feeling Shiro had a part in Kuro coming to be as his brother's protector. To think that the naberius could have found his brother and hurt him or worse sent a shiver down his spine. Not only that, but Rin's ability to see demons was growing, but Yukio couldn't decide if it was good or not that it faded away after a few seconds.

Looking into his brother's eyes he spoke. "Rin you were just worried and scared and tired. It was late when this all happened and you were probably scared so your mind was playing tricks on you."

"But-"

"Don't you trust me, Rin?" Yukio asked, knowing exactly what card he was using to convince his brother.

Rin shuffled in nervousness. "...Yes." He whispered.

"Then trust me with this ok?" Rin nodded his head. "Good, now you're probably tired so why don't we get you ready for bed, ok?" Rin nodded his head again and rubbed his eyes. He got changed for bed and crawled under the blanket with a soft yawn. However, Yukio could still see the hesitance to fall asleep after what happened today.

"It's alright, Rin, you can sleep."

"But…" Rin bit his lips. "But what if it comes back?"

"It won't come back, I won't let it." Yukio replied firmly.

"But you said it was in my head...and...if it's in my head...how can you stop it? I-I don't want to go to sleep Yukio!"

"Shhh…" Yukio hushed, letting his hands run through Rin's hair in a soothing manner. "Trust me ok? I won't let the monster hurt you." He got a nod of agreement from Rin and he smiled. "Good, now close your eyes and think of something happy, ok? Just go to sleep thinking of something happy."

Rin nodded his head slightly once more before closing his eyes. Yukio continued to run his hands through Rin's hair, watching as he slowly relaxed before his breathing finally evened out and he was asleep.

Slowly and quietly standing up, Yukio took out a key from one of his pockets and went over to the door of their room. Placing the key in the hole, he opened the door that lead to his desired destination.

With one last look at his brother, he stepped through.

* * *

"What happened!?" Yukio growled, slamming his fists on Mephisto's desk in his office. "Why were my students attacked by a naberius?! Where did it come from!?"

"I can assure you I have no idea as to why you were attacked and how." Mephisto replied, his hands folded and resting is elbows on the desk in front of him.

"Really? It had nothing to do with the fact that my brother was there?" Yukio growled.

"Honestly, I have no idea as to why a demon-"

"Mephisto!" An angry shout cut through his words before he could finish. Yukio didn't even look away from the man in front of him and he knew just who was barging in on their conversation. Shiro radiated with anger as he stood besides Yukio, glaring at Mephisto as well.

"Ah, Shiro, I didn't expect you. I thought you were busy at the moment." Mephisto said with a smirk.

Shiro clenched his fists. "You know very well why I'm here Mephisto." Shiro didn't care about the mission at the moment. He knew he would have to return, but he didn't care that he had to leave so that he could deal with this sly man. A line was crossed when there was an attack on Rin.

"Shiro," Yukio greeted. He didn't even question why the older man was away from his mission.

"Yukio." Shiro replied, voice tight. "How is Rin?" He only knew the basics from the very quick message he was given from Yukio, who would inform him of things that happened since he couldn't always visit the two boys.

"He's alright, sleeping at the moment and thankfully unharmed physically. You can thank Kuro for that."

Shiro nodded in response, thankful the the cat sidhe had no problems with protecting Rin. A little bit of worry faded from him when he heard he was unharmed physically but he had to ask about the other part. "Mentally?"

"Shaken up." Yukio answered honestly. "Apparently, for a brief moment, he was able to see the naberius and it was a high enough class to speak some japanese, though apparently Rin couldn't understand what was being said, or at least not that I know of. However, I was able to get him to trust in my words when I told him what he saw was fake and hopefully, since he is sleeping now, he'll think it was just part of a nightmare or something, but I don't really know." He shook his head. "I'm honestly worried for him and what this could result in."

Shiro nodded in understanding, a concerned look flashing across his features before he returned to glaring at the being on the other side of the desk.

"As I was saying," Mephisto continued after he just sat in silence with them glaring at him for a while. "I have nothing to do with this. I don't know why or how the demon got in and I don't understand why you too are coming after me for it."

"You're the one who promised his safety while he was here!" Yukio snapped.

"Not only that, but I know you Mephisto." Shiro spoke up. "You have no problems allow things to happen when you want to be entertained, especially since the one you're no doubt interested in is Rin for his heritage."

"Honestly I had no part in this." Mephisto once again denied. "Of course if you're worried, you can always allow dear Rin to stay with me during the exam. I would have no problems watching over the young boy so he didn't risk any...harm coming to him."

Yukio gritted his teeth and Shiro clenched his fists.

"I'd rather spend time convincing Rin to stay inside a warded room than leave him with you for a night." Yukio replied. He didn't trust Mephisto, at all. He had problems just when he had the other drive his brother school, having those moments along with the younger boy. There was no way he would allow Rin to spend a night with the other.

"Don't you fucking try anything Mephisto." Shiro growled as he turned to leave, needing to return to the mission he was assigned to, and trusting Yukio to deal with the mad man.

Mephisto smirked at the old man. "I don't know what you mean."

Shiro gave one last glare before turning to Yukio. "I'll visit as soon as I can. Take care of yourself and Rin."

"Of course. You as well." Yukio said in reply as he watched the other leave through the door and was gone. With a sigh he looked back at Mephisto with a glare. "You better be telling the truth Mephisto." The threat was left unsaid, but it could be heard as Yukio turned and left through the door as well after putting in a key.

Mephisto, now alone in his office, hummed as he rested his chin on his folded hands. He honestly didn't know how the demon got into the dorm building, but he did have an idea of who could be behind it.

"I do wonder which one of my dear brothers found Rin and have decided to seek him out."

* * *

Rin sat up with a gasp. He hadn't been able to sleep very well, not with the thought of the demon thing coming back. He was told it wasn't real, and he believes them when they say it wasn't real, but he couldn't help it.

Because it felt so real.

He shivered when he thought back to it, the way its two heads, despite one having no eyes, stared at him. He remembered the tar substance that dripped from it and the way it's patched up, ripped mouth moved when it growled at him. He thought, when it did that, he could even make out a few words directed at him, but he wasn't positive. The thought of it talking to him sent another shiver down his spine.

He looked around the dark room and it wasn't long before he realized he was alone, his brother nowhere to be found. He also saw Kuro sleeping at the foot of his bed and he sighed. Well, if he couldn't take comfort in either Yukio or Kuro, he would go use his other way of finding comfort.

Slowly and softly removing the covers so that he didn't disturb Kuro, he slipped out of bed and let his feet touch the floor. He moved quietly through the room, tiptoeing to avoid making too much noise on the old floors. He opened the door quietly and slipped out of the room before continuing his journey.

He made his way to the stairs and began to head up to the roof. When he reached the door that opened to the roof, he pushed it open and breathed in the night air. He stepped out onto the roof and began to walk to the ledge and that was when he realized he wasn't alone up here. There, standing and looking over the edge was Izumo, who hadn't even looked in his direction, her gaze remaining on the dark sky before her.

Rin looked her over and noticed she looked a little sad. A frown on his lips, he moved up to talk to her. "Um...are you ok?"

Izumo's eyes widened in shock at his sudden voice and let out a sharp yelp of surprise before looking at him. Rin tilted his head at her.

"Ah, Rin what are you doing up here?" She asked, flushing a bit in embarrassment from her reaction of surprise.

"I couldn't sleep." The boy answered, coming up next to her and crossing his arms over the ledge and resting his head on them. "But it's nice up here."

"...Yeah." Izumo replied with a second of hesitation.

"But why are you sad?" Rin asked again, looking up at her making Izumo blink at him. "Is it because of today? Because of the accident that happened? I don't know much about it, though, so I might be wrong. Will you tell me?"

Izumo stared at the boy in shock, almost wanting to laugh at the boy's words. She couldn't control the soft smile on her face as she spoke. "You're right, it was because of the...accident." It felt weird to refer to it that way, but she also knew she had to be careful with what she said around the boy. "My friend...she got hurt because I wasn't strong enough." She looked away then, not wanting to look at the boy when he heard these words.

"Were you scared?" Rin asked after a moment of silence. "Cause, if you were scared, then it's ok."

Izumo gave a bitter chuckle at his words. "I don't think so. She probably hates me because I let her get hurt and I did nothing to help her. She probably never wants to talk to me again."

Rin was silent again, looking up at the older teen. A frown formed on his lips at her words. "I don't think she hates you. She wouldn't be a good friend if she did that."

"And how would you know? You weren't there. I would hate me if I was her. I couldn't do anything to help her."

"..."

"..."

"Did you want to help her?" Izumo was shocked by his sudden words and whipped her head around to stare at him.

"What?"

"Did you want to help her." Rin repeated. "Because if you didn't, then you're a bad friend."

"No, I did want to help her."

"Then it will be ok." he continued to stare at him in shock. "Because, if you wanted to help, then that just means you got scared and everyone gets scared. I was scared once, when I saw someone getting bullied. I was scared to step in and when I didn't, they got hurt. But then, I stepped in and they didn't get hurt."

"...What do you mean?"

"It's like, at first you're scared right? But then you see that you don't have to be, so you aren't. Then you can help, 'cause your not scared anymore." Rin gave her a big smile. "So next time, don't be scared!"

Izumo was unable to control her expression, shock very evident at how the young boy just spoke to her. He was so young and while his words were simple, they meant a lot. She was brought out of her thoughts when he spoke again.

"Besides, you're a good person, and your friend is mean if they don't forgive you."

"..."

"...What?"

Izumo sighed, but she couldn't stop the smile on her face. "You're such a bright kid, you know that? And…" She looked into those bright blue eyes and nodded. "...Thanks."

"You're welcome!" Rin replied making Izumo shake her head.

'So innocent.' She thought looking at Rin. Then he yawned and Izumo huffed.

"You shouldn't stay up so late, you know that?What would your brother say?" She shook her head at him and began ushering him back to the stairs. "Come on you, back to bed."

"But I don't want to!"

"Too bad, you need to sleep. Besides, you're obviously tired, silly."

"I'm not silly." Rin mumbled before rubbing his eyes with loose fists.

Izumo shook her head once more and sighed. Leaning down, she lifted him up into her arms and hushed his protest. With that, she cared him down stairs as Rin slowly fell asleep in her arms.


	11. Chapter 11

"Um...Mr. Okumura? Can you explain what happened last night, please?" Konekomaru asked nervously, looking at his teacher as they entered the classroom since they would have lessons at the cram school today. Yukio froze in his actions of placing a few papers down on the front desk, and looked at his students.

"What do you mean?" Suguro spoke up in confusion, having not been around to see Rin's reaction to the demon.

"Well you see," Shima said nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Yesterday when we went to go check on Rin, it seemed like he could see the demon for a little bit, or that's what we think anyway."

Yukio sighed and turned towards his class. "It's true that for a moment he was able to see the naberius, however it didn't last and he could no longer see the demon by the time you arrived."

"I've never heard of a temptaint acting like that before." Suguro mumbled furrowing his eyebrows.

Yukio shook his head, happy that they were believing his excuse. "Neither have I. But if it doesn't take effect, I don't want Rin to know about demons. If it does, I will be there to help him understand. So, you will still mention nothing about demons to my brother, understand?" He received nods and smiled. "Good, now since I'm not your first class, I'll leave you all be."

Yukio began walking down the hall after he left the classroom, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what would happen tonight. He began preparing a room on an upper floor for him, away from where his students would be taking their exwire exam. He was still worried about how safe his brother would be, but he didn't dare leave him with Mephisto.

Shaking his head, he went to go prepare for the night.

* * *

Rin laughed as he ran through the dorm building with Kuro at his heels. He had woken up to his brother and the other's getting ready to go somewhere. When he asked Yukio explained they had to go to their club room to deal with a few things. Rin had accepted to answer and instead made himself a meal as they left.

For a while, he had worked on his school work online, but it wasn't long before he grew bored of that. He never wanted to go to school when he did, so what made his brother think that he would work productively on other work without his watchful eyes. So, instead of working, Rin decided to play with Kuro.

Now, as he ran through the halls, one of the closed doors caught his attention. He knew it was where his brother had gone last night when he got him, he wouldn't forget the layout of his current home. He also knew it was a girl's washroom and, despite his curiosity, he knew better than to go in there. Biting his lip, Rin had a mental war with himself as he decided whether to give into the curiosity or to walk away. He knew Yukio would probably not want him to walk in there, but he was so curious.

Curiosity having won out, Rin approached the door and pushed it open, his eyes widening at the sight before him. There was a bench knocked over in the middle of a group of lockers with what looked like pieces of the ceiling around it. From the pieces, Rin looked up and found a large hole in the ceiling before looking down again and looking at the showering area with the large amount of broken glass everywhere.

"Woah." He gasped out, his eyes wide as he looked around. He still hasn't been told what happened other than an accident, but now he knew it was something big and he really wanted to know what.

Walking around the room, Rin leaned closer to the wreckage sometimes even reaching out to pick something up, only to pause and remind himself that Yukio wouldn't want him touching anything. Actually, Yukio wouldn't want him in here at all, so he was already in trouble there. Once he had finished exploring the room, finding everything he wanted and yet disappointed there had only been signs of destruction, Rin exited the washroom.

He was about to go look for Kuro when a sudden bang down the hall reached his ears. Tensing, Rin got his hands up, prepared to defend himself if someone had broken in. He began to inch his way down the hall, hearing a few more bangs after another, making him tense even more. Finally he came to the rom besides the one his brother and his brother's friends were in yesterday. Taking a deep breath, Rin pushed the door open and saw-

"Nii-san?" Rin asked, putting his hands down and tilting his head. There, standing before him with about five rocks at his feet with one in his arms. Yukio blinked at the sight of his brother and quickly put down the rocks in his arms.

"Rin? What are you doing here? You should be working on your classes right now." Yukio asked, looking at his brother

Rin didn't answer his brother, only continuing to stare at the giant rock on the floor. "Why do you have rocks in here?"

Yukio was silent, not knowing how he should answer his brother, before he decided to just tell him the truth. "The other's were bad today so this is their punishment."

"Rocks?"

"Yes."

"Why rocks?"

"Because it will be a fitting punishment."

"..."

"..."

"You won't hit them with the rocks, will you?"

"What?! No! What gave you that idea?!" Yukio exclaimed, sighing when all he got a was a shrug in response. "Don't you have homework to be working on?"

Rin shuffled his feet. "Maybe."

Yukio frowned. "I want you to have half of that done by the time the others get back, Rin."

"Oh, come on!"

"I mean it Rin, get back to work." Rin pouted in response before grumbling and shuffling his way back out the door.

* * *

"I don't like this!"

"Why are we getting punished? We weren't even part of the fight!"

"It's called collective responsibility." Yukio spoke, his eyes narrowed as he looked at each of his students. The room had its door closed to keep Rin from coming inside, but he knew that if his brother were to see this, Rin would be laughing whole heartedly at the students. "This camp is for more than just studying. It was also to strengthen your bonds with each other."

"I don't want to have bonds with anyone." Izumo huffed.

"It doesn't matter if you want bonds or not; exorcists do not fight alone!" They all grew silent at his words and Yukio glared at each one of them.

"Support each other's abilities, cover their weaknesses. Everyone fights in a team of at least two. In a real battle, a quarrel in the team can lead to death!" He gave them each one more look over. "Think about that."

He looked out the windows to the night sky outside and sighed. "Now, I have to go put Rin to bed and then head out for a mission that will take around three hours. Because of the ghoul incident, I will be locking all the entrances and exits as well as place strong barriers around the building to keep anything from happening.

"Wait, lock the entrances?! What if we need to get out?! Or what if your brother needs something?!" Suguro exclaimed.

Yukio gave him a chilling smile. "Rin will be asleep and will hopefully not need any reason to leave the building. As for the rest of you, I can't think of any reason why you would need to leave the building." Yukio turned to walk towards the door only to pause as he came up to it. "You will all stay in here to cool your heads and get along, understand?" When he received nods, he smiled and left the room.

He moved through the halls to make his way to his and Rin's bedroom. When he entered, Yukio found Rin sitting on his bed still working on his laptop just as Yukio had told him to do.

"Alright, Rin, it's time for bed." Yukio said as he came up to his brother and gently closed the laptop. Rin blinked for a few moment before stretching and looking at his brother.

"But I don't want to go to bed." Rin grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well it's late and you shouldn't stay up so late, ok?" Yukio replied with a smile. His brother was already in his pajamas, since he wanted to be comfortable while he worked, so Yukio just told his brother to shift so he could tuck Rin in bed.

"Will you be in here tonight?" Rin asked, tilting his head as he curled up into his sheets.

"I'd like to but I can't. I have to go work with the other's for a bit, ok?"

"Ok." Rin yawned. Kuro jumped up onto his bed, and curled up near Rin's feet. Yukio smiled and ran his hand through Rin's hair.

"Good night."

"Night." Rin mumbled as he closed his eyes. Yukio sighed, watching his brother for a few moments before turning around and exiting through the door. Once he closed it, he placed a seal on the door so that no demons would be able to enter it in case they left the room during the exam.

Once he was sure his brother's room was secure, Yukio walked away to wait and watch for the end of the exam.

* * *

Inside the room, a blue eye opened before a second one followed. Rin looked around the dark room, seeing no sign of his brother and sighed. He couldn't sleep, he just couldn't. He was wondering where his brother was going dressed in the trench coat that Yukio seemed to wear a lot.

Looking down at the foot of his bed, he saw Kuro sleeping peacefully and let his head flop back onto his pillow. He was so very tempted to get up and see if he could catch the others or Yukio and ask what was going on. Yukio always told him that their group was something he shouldn't join, but wouldn't tell him exactly why. With a huff, Rin rolled his head on his pillow in frustration.

His eyes rose from the floor to the door of the room. No light shone from under the door and it seemed the only illumination would be from the windows. Biting his lip, Rin slipped his feet quietly away from where Kuro was resting as not to disturb the cat's sleep. Once that was done, he slipped his body out from under the covers and slowly made his way to the door.

Rin winced whenever the floor would creak from pressure, but thankfully he remained undisturbed during his sneaking. Once he made it to the door, Rin placed his hand on the knob, only to jerk at a slight and very small shock from it. Staring at the knob, Rin slowly placed his hand back on it and let out a sigh when no shock came again.

'It must have just been from the humidity or something.' Rin thought, pushing the door open slowly. For a second, he felt another shock but it was gone just as quick and it didn't matter once he let go of the door.

Walking out, Rin began to make his way silently down the hall. He placed his ears up to the doors of the rooms he knew that the other teens were in, hoping to hear any sign of them in there. The only one he thought he heard a ruffle of sheets from was the one with Paku, but he knew she was hurt so Rin didn't disturb her.

He made his way through the halls, hoping to find any sign of the others, when a sudden large bang echoed upstairs. Tilting his head in confusion, Rin slowly made his way upstairs and in the direction of the noise. Keeping his footsteps quiet, Rin made his way to the source of the bang and found a hole in the wall of where he knew a door was supposed to be.

He looked inside, while still taking cover behind one of the walls, and found large roots blocking his sight. He tried to look past them, and for a second thought he could see Shima through one of the gaps in the roots, but that was taken away by what he saw next. Rin had blinked and suddenly he saw the creature from yesterday pinned against the wall by the root. His breath caught in his throat and he began backing up when the creature looked in his direction.

'I'm dreaming! This isn't real! Nii-san said it isn't real!' Rin told himself as he continued to back up. Rin brought one hand up to his arm and pinched himself, flinching in fear and pain when he felt the pain of the pinch.

The creature opened its mouth and gave a low gurgled moan, and Rin thought he could once again hear some actual words in there, but was too scared to make sense of them. Suddenly, the demon began splitting its body down the middle. Rin gave a choked cry at it and clenched his eyes shut.

Suddenly he couldn't hear it anymore.

Shaking, he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the root covered room once more, no sign of the creature anywhere. Rin, not wanting to risk seeing it again, turned around and began to run through the hallway. Once he was a safe distance away, he leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, trying to forget what he had just seen. Rin felt tears building up in his eyes at the thought of the creature being real. He could still see the way it was pinned and the sound of its moans and ripping flesh.

Rin gave a shiver and shook his head. The eight-year-old wanted to just go back to his room now, but he didn't want to sleep, not after seeing that. The creature was engraved in his mind. In fact, he could hear its moans now just as clearly as before.

Wait. Opening his eyes, Rin looked up to see it half of it coming down the hallway, crawling on all fours with a spaded tail whipping behind it. With a cry of fear, Rin took off into a run, not even watching where he ran off too. He took notice he started going up flights of stairs, but he didn't process it.

Eventually he made it way to the roof and he had nowhere to go as the demon approached him. It moaned at him again, but Rin just curled up as he fell to the floor, trying to block himself with his arms.

"Stay away! Please! Go away!" He cried, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks in his terror. "Nii-san!"

He could feel his body heating up but he didn't know what to do as he caught the sound of the demon nearing him. He could smell it now, it was so close. Rin gave one last cry before his vision exploded in blue, before fading to black.


	12. Chapter 12

Yukio watched as his students were taken out of the room to get any wounds looked at from the result of the exam. He knew they were all shocked at the fact everything was a test and the way Mephisto had told them was a little over the top, but he couldn't do anything about that now. His gaze went to the broken down door and his eyebrows creased a little in worry. He figured the demon didn't leave the room, seeing as every one of his students were in here by the time the exam was over, but the worry was still there.

Hopefully his brother was alright.

"Mr. Okumura," Yukio looked over at the headmaster who was grinning at him. "You seem to have something on your mind. Care to share?"

"If you wouldn't mind, sir, but I would like to go check on my brother." A shiver went down his spine when that smile seemed to grow wider with knowledge that Yukio didn't know hidden behind it.

"Of course!" Mephisto replied. "Your students are in good hands now and you can help out with any paperwork when you feel you must. The only time you must be with your students is when the results of the exams are ready. Until then, you may watch over your brother."

Something happened, or was going to happen, and Mephisto knew about it, Yukio was sure of this. Giving Mephisto one last look, Yukio gave his thanks along with a nod of his head before leaving the room, heading swiftly to his brother's room.

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw the open door to the room and the sight of Kuro letting out worried meows down the hall. Kuro caught sight of Yukio and padded quickly over to him with a string of worried meows.

"Shit." Yukio cursed, sweat building on his forehead in worry about what happened to his brother. He ran down the hall, looking every which way for his brother with Kuro taking charge in checking a different direction. Yukio trusted the cat sidhe to alert him if he found Rin. He passed the stairs when he heard it.

"Yukio."

Stopping in his tracks, Yukio looked up the stairs to see a fiery haired woman in a bikini top staring down at him with a tense expression.

"Shura? Wha-"

"No time." She interrupted him, turning to head back up the stairs. "You need to follow me now."

Gritting his teeth, Yukio held back a protest and followed her quickly up the stairs. He didn't have time for this! He needed to find his brother to make sure he was alright and not hurt and-

"Rin!" He exclaimed as his eyes fell on the trembling, curled up figure on the ground of the roof. His mind didn't even bother remembering that fact that Shura was here, he was just worried about his brother that was sweating and trembling on the ground in front of him. He reached out to touch him when there was a flickering of flames around his body and Yukio jerked back to avoid touching the fire.

"That's why I couldn't bring him down to you. If I could've, I would have brought the kid off the roof." Shura spoke up. Yukio didn't bother with a response. He would figure out what happened later, first he needed to help his brother.

Leaning closer, yet not touching his brother, he spoke. "Rin? Rin can you hear me? You're safe. Your nii-san is here and you're safe now."

As he spoke, he slowly stretched his hand out and placed it on his brother's arm. For a moment, the flames spiked and struck Yukio's hand before he could pull away. However, they were calm and Yukio noticed that instead of burning, he only felt a soft warmth upon his hand. Setting his own fear aside, he strengthened his hold on his brother's arm to one of security. Rin started to calm down, his flames dying and disappearing, however his body still trembled and sweated as though he had a fever.

"Rin? Rin, can you hear me?" Yukio asked, leaning closer to his shivering brother. His worry deepened when there was no reply and he pulled his brother into his arms. When his brother was safely cradled in his arms, he suddenly felt a small fist clenching onto his exorcist coat. Looking down, Yukio saw intense blue peaking from slited eyes.

"...Ni-ii-san?" Rin mumbled before his eyes closed and his grip loosened making his hand fall onto his chest.

Swallowing thickly, Yukio turned swiftly to the door of the stairs, not even taking a moment of hesitation as he moved swiftly. He knew Shura was following behind him, but he continued to focus on his brother. He could question her later.

Yukio reached one of the rooms he had set aside for medical purposes, knowing he'd be unable to keep many of the exorcist weapons and tools in his room without Rin getting curious about them. He still had a few things in his room, but they were subtle enough that Rin didn't feel the need to touch them. Yukio placed Rin down on the bed before rushing around the room and out into the hall with a towel.

When he came back in, he placed the now wet and cold towel on Rin's forehead to fight the apparent fever he had before checking his body for any injuries. Other than a few scrapes from falling on the roof that was taken care of by cleaning them and putting bandaids on them, Yukio had done all he could to aid his brother at the moment.

With a sigh, he turned to look at the woman who was within his room.

"What happened? Why are you even here?" Yukio asked, looking Shura over.

Shura sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall in the room. "The old man asked me to watch over the kid. At first, I was hesitant because I couldn't think of why demons would be specifically after a little boy whose only connection to this world was that his father was the Paladin. When he explained the situation to me, I was even more hesitant, but I still took the job, since he seemed so worried about the kid."

"So Shiro asked you to look over Rin? How long ago?"

Shura shrugged. "Not that long. I'd say the beginning of the camp you had here."

"And what exactly had happened up on the roof?"

"The naberius, from the exam, came after him. There were times he could see it and times he couldn't, at least from what I could tell. It chased him to the roof where the kid got so scared he exploded into flames and burnt the demon right there back to Gehenna."

Yukio was silent for a moment before replying. "And yet, you didn't then kill Rin."

Shura sighed, leaning her head back. "Yeah, I didn't. I should've, it's our job to do so. But...damnit the kid was just too innocent." she looked at Yukio. "When I couldn't touch him, I figured you would be the next best choice. Turns out, I was right."

"Thank you, for not killing him." Yukio spoke after, giving her a nod of gratitude.

"Yeah, sure." She looked at Rin now. "So, does this mean the kid...he's-?"

Yukio shook his head. "No, he shouldn't be a demon, at least not completely. His demon blood might be a bit stronger now, but he will remain mostly human as long as the sword holding his demon heart remains locked." Shura nodded, having received that information from Shiro when he was convincing her to watch over Rin.

Yukio shook his head. "Honestly, I'm just worried that he'll be able to completely see the demons now." He let out a sigh and frowned at his brother's sleeping form. "However, I don't know where this fever came from. Hopefully it will pass quickly."

Shura watched silently, seeing the brotherly love pass from Yukio to his brother. She knew that the teen could be rather cold at times, and it was nice to see his showing such emotions. Now, she was very glad she decided to spare the kid.

"Well, the kid better get better soon, 'cause I'd like to meet him face to face." Shura spoke up, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

Yukio shot her a deadpan look. "No. I don't think you are a person I want my brother to meet."

"What?! I'm perfectly fine for the kid to be around!" Shura defended herself.

"Not with that you're wearing!"

"Please, you're just an overbearing brother!"

"I am not! I just don't want you influencing my brother!"

"Oh come on! You met me when you were about his age! It's fine!"

"That was because I was training to be an exorcist! I don't think I would have met you if not for that!"

"Oh, I don't know about that Yukio, I mean, I might have had her visit at some point!" The laugh broke off their conversation and they turned to see Shiro in the door a smile on his face and Kuro at his feet. The cat sidhe meowed a greeting and jumped up onto the bed besides Rin. A sad look crossed his face as he stared at Rin before curling up near his head.

"Shiro." Yukio greeted with a nod of his head. Shura performed a similar response to the paladin.

Shiro smiled at both of them before his gaze settled on the bed. His expression turned to worry and he knelt beside the bed to place his hand on Rin's head, carding his fingers through the navy locks.

"Thank you, Shura, for protecting him." He said looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

Shura waved her hand at him. "It was no problem. I'll be glad to continue helping out. For now though, I think you two need a moment alone." With that she stood up. "Do you have any bear here?"

Yukio shot her a look. "Why would we have that in this building?!"

Shura shrugged and cast his a soft smile. "Figured I'd ask." With that she left the room.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Shiro spoke. "Have you checked the sword yet?"

Yukio shook his head. "No, I was too worried about Rin."

Shiro nodded. "Alright. And you? How are you?" He turned to look at the oldest boy, worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine, much better than Rin. I can't figure out where the fever came from though."

Shiro sighed in response. "I couldn't tell you where it came from either. If it doesn't pass, we'll have to look into it, and I have an idea as to who might know what is going on."

"Mephisto." It wasn't a question. If anyone had any idea why Rin was this way, it would be him who had originally sealed away Rin's demon heritage.

"Have you gotten any rest since your mission?" Yukio asked, changing the topic.

Shiro smiled. "A little. I more wanted to see if the two of you were alright. Plus, I was hoping to taste some of Rin's cooking when I returned."

"Well, that won't happen for a bit."

Shiro let a tear slide down his cheek and an over-dramatic expression cross his face. "I know! It's such a sad outcome!"

Yukio shook his head at his adoptive father's reaction. "Alright, we can go get something to eat then. Rin's stable for now. If something were to happen, I'm sure Kuro will alert us to it. After the excitement we've all had, we all need a moment of a break. Come on, let's get some food. We can even see if there will be something for Rin when he wakes up."

Shiro sighed and stood up. "Alright, I'll eat, but it won't be the same though."

"I know." Yukio chuckled. They both gave one last glance at the bed before leaving the room. Kuro watched them go before shifting so that his head rested on Rin's chest.

**"Please be ok, Rin."**


	13. Chapter 13

Yukio grimaced as he placed the back of his hand to his brother's forehead. "His fever isn't going down yet. I'd treat it, if I knew the cause." He took his hand away and looked towards his adoptive father who was gazing down solemnly at Rin. "Shiro."

"I know," Shiro sighed. "I just don't like getting involved with him, not after he let the attack happen in the first place."

"I don't like him anymore than you do." Yukio frowned, standing up. "But, he'll have more of an idea about what is going on than we do at the moment. Even if we don't like it, I don't want to wait any longer to help Rin."

Shiro nodded in agreement and turned towards the door. "I'll go get him, you keep an eye on Rin."

Yukio watched Shiro leave before looking back at his brother, whose eyes would occasionally draw in together in discomfort before Kuro would press his nose to his forehead, effectively calming him brother down for the moment. Yukio hated seeing his younger brother in such pain, and it hurt knowing that he couldn't really do anything to help him at the moment.

"You called for my help?" A voice sang from the doorway and Yukio took a deep breath to keep himself from blowing up at the other man before he turned to face him. Even if he had already seen him earlier in the day to watch as his students be promoted as exwires, that didn't mean he wanted to see Mephisto again.

"Yes." Yukio answered, looking at Mephisto as Shiro moved to stand closer to Rin. "He seems to have come down with a fever and we don't know how to help it, nor where it came from. We figured you would have some idea for it."

"I see." Mephisto hummed, his smile falling for a moment as he approached the bed Rin laid on and looked him over. "Have either of you checked the sword recently?"

They both blinked at the sudden question before Yukio answered. "No, we were busy with Rin's sudden fever why? What does the sword have to do with anything?"

Mephisto turned to him with a smirk. "If I'm right, then everything, my dear boy."

Yukio frowned. "I'll go get it."

Mephisto waved his hand. "No need." With a snap of his fingers the sword was suddenly within his grip and he hummed at the state of it while both Shiro and Yukio gasped. The seal that had covered the sword was nearly completely ashes, no longer aiding in containing the demon heart that lied within the sword.

"Just as I thought." Mephisto spoke up, bringing their attention back to the purple haired demon. "The demon blood within Rin has finally taken a chance to activate, no longer lying dormant. Because of this, it allowed him to access his abilities as well as to reach out to his demonic heart, but he's not a demon, not yet."

"What does this have to do with his fever?" Shiro asked.

Mephisto smirked. "Well, you see, just because he's not a demon, doesn't me his body doesn't want to adjust to that. Because of his sudden demon blood and powers, Rin's body is trying to adapt to it. It's worse since not only is his demon form still basically sealed, meaning it can't help him adjust and evolve, but his age is still in developing stages, so I'm sure the backlash is much worse than it would be if he had been older. An older Rin would have been able to adjust faster, especially since his age would be closer to being fully developed. As a child, not only is his form locked away with his heart, but his body, which has been unable to develop along side his demon blood, now much adjust to it while it is still locked away."

"Is there anyway to help him?" Shiro asked, his worry for his adoptive son not going away with anything the other said. He just wanted Rin to get better. It hurt to see him in such discomfort.

Mephisto hummed. "There is. The easiest option being to unsheath the sword and allow his demon heart to reconnect to his body and allow him to become part demon."

"Never!" Shiro instantly shot that idea down. He would not lose his son so easily, not when they have done so much to help him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yukio clearly agreeing with him in this regard, not wanting to let his brother lose his humanity.

Mephisto rolled his eyes at the two of them, amused by how stubborn they were with his younger brother. "Calm down, you haven't even heard the other choices and you're already jumping to conclusions. Now, you can unsheath the sword, that being option one. Or, you can try to create another seal to try and hold his powers back. Of course, you could also just wait for his body to adjust to the current state of forever lying in between the connection of his demon blood and his human blood, but even I don't know what the effects of that would be."

He could tell the two needed to think about what their decision would be, so Mephisto said. "I'll give you time to decide what to do. You don't have a specific time limit, however when you do make your decision, I would like to be informed." With that he placed the sword on the bed beside Rin and gave the two a swift goodbye, giving one last look at Rin as he stepped through the door.

Yukio scowled. "We are not unsheathing the sword right?" He turned to Shiro who was shaking his head.

"Of course not, I would do everything I in my power before I allow him to become a demon and risk losing him." Shiro sighed. "As for the other two, the best option would be to create another seal to place on the sword, but as far as I know, the original seal was the strongest and safest one I could find, but seeing how easily it was burned away, I can't think of another seal we could use. From there, we only have the last option."

Yukio shook his head. "No, I'm not giving up just yet. We can look into books and ask Shura about any seals. I'm not giving up on my brother yet."

Shiro smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "See, this is why you're a great brother. You're always looking out for Rin. Come on, let's go look and see if there is any information on other stronger seals."

Yukio nodded in agreement and ran his hand through his brother's hair before he pulled away. Picking up the sword, he and Shiro left the room with Kuro remaining to watch over Rin.

* * *

That night, light streamed in through the window, falling on the figure in the bed. The room was surrounded in silence, no sign that there was any other person there inside the quiet room. The figure in the bed let out uneven breaths and his eyebrows were furrowed together in discomfort. A soft moan passed his lips and his head turned, only having the energy to move centimeters on the pillow beneath his head.

Instead of a small nose coming to his aid, a hand fell upon his navy locks, brushing through his hair and calming him down. Rin relaxed under the soft treatment and soon fell back into a deeper sleep, a soft sigh passing his lips.

The figure sighed, continuing to run his fingers through the boy's hair, red eyes flashing in the dark as he spoke and broke the silence. "My poor, poor brother. The humans are so cruel to you, forcing you to go through all this because they want you to. If only we had been able to get to you first, then you'd be where you belong, little prince."

A gun cocked behind him and a voice came from the now open door. "Step away from my brother."

The red-eyed man smirked and did not move away from the sleeping boy. "Oh come now, he's as much of your brother as he is mine. Though, in my opinion, he's more my brother."

Yukio gritted his teeth, "I said step away from my brother."

The man turned to look at Yukio, his hand still running through navy locks. "You're going to shoot me? With the young prince right here? While he's sleeping? That's messed up."

"Who are you?" Yukio growled, glaring at the man with white hair with gray tips. He would shoot if he had to, but at the moment, he didn't want to risk anything, even though he was confident he wouldn't hurt his brother. He had been researching seals, Shiro having left to retrieve a few books from his home, when Kuro had rushed down with a meow of urgency, so Yukio had decided to deal with it. He thought it was something with the fever only to see it was much worse.

The red-eyed man smiled even wider and gave a mock bow as he said. "My name is Astaroth, demon king of ro-AH!" He jumped away from the bullet that shot past him, hitting the wall and causing him to move away from Rin. "What the hell!?" He exclaimed before glaring at Yukio, who glared back.

"Stay away from Rin and leave. Now."

Astaroth raised an eyebrow at Yukio and hummed. "I don't think so. Look at you, silly exorcist, thinking you can take on a demon king, but you really can't do anything."

Yukio raised his gun and was about to shoot at the demon again when a soft moan made him freeze. They both looked at Rin, who had been disturbed by the gunshot, as he let out moans and his eyes fluttered as he struggled to wake up from his fevered haze. Yukio was about to step forward, to comfort his brother and coax him back to sleep, when Astaroth beat him to it.

Astaroth moved forward and returned his hand to Rin's head, letting out comforting sounds as he tried to calm Rin back to sleep.

"...N-Ni...i…-san?" Rin mumbled out, blue peeking out from beneath the fluttering eyelashes.

"Go back to sleep Rin, your Nii-san is here." Astaroth told him. Yukio expected Rin to react in some way to the new voice, but he didn't expect him to relax and fall back to sleep beneath his touch.

"See, even if you evil exorcists have kept him away from his true family, he knows who he truly belongs with." Astaroth smirked in Yukio's direction. Yukio growled. No, he refused to believe they could take his brother so easily. Rin was sick, that is the most likely reason he gave into the touches of the other.

"Astaroth, you are not welcome here." A voice came from behind Yukio and they watched at Shiro entered the room, glaring at the demon king.

"Damn Paladin, always coming around to ruin brotherly bonding moments." Astaroth growled, slowly standing up and moving away from Rin.

"I've told you before, you will not touch Rin." Shiro said.

Astaroth growled. "And I've told you that you have no right to my brother. You hold no blood relation and I'm sure my father would love the chance to kill you and take Rin away from you. I should just take him now-"

"You will do no such thing." Shiro snapped. "You will leave now before I forcefully remove you from Assiah once again."

Astaroth grimaced. "Tsk, damn exorcists. Have fun with Rin for now, but he will come home with us soon." With that, he left through the window. Yukio raced to the window, hoping to catch sight of the demon king only to come up empty, the demon long gone already.

He turned around to see Shiro replacing a cold towel on Rin's head, the towel having fallen off during Rin's moment of slight lucidness.

"How the hell did he get in here?" Yukio asked, looking at Shiro as he placed his gun on his desk.

Shiro shook his head. "I don't know. He shouldn't have been able to, not with the wards around the dorm, let alone True Cross in general. It's the reason I sent him here in the first place."

"You've encountered Astaroth before." Yukio spoke up. "Before you came here."

"Yes." Shiro replied. "He was possessing a young man at the time who was apparently related to one of the young boys that went to Rin's school. We were there for an event and it wasn't long before he started making threats about taking Rin away from me. I exorcised Astaroth when I got the chance and I quickly made the decision of sending Rin here. If demons were able to find him, I couldn't risk anything happening, so I sent him here because I figured it would be safer than a small monastery."

"But now he knows where Rin is." Yukio sighed. "But I won't let him get him, not as long as I'm here."

Shiro smiled once more. "That's my boy. I should probably make sure you know his fatal verse, incase he comes around when I'm not here, not that that will be soon. For now, let's worry about helping Rin. After that, we'll figure out what happened with Astaroth."

Yukio nodded before looking at Rin, placing his hand on his head just as Astaroth had done. He let his fingers glide through Rin's hair, trying to wash Astaroth's touch away with his own.

"I won't let him get you Rin, any of them."


	14. Chapter 14

"I see," Mephisto hummed as looked at the sword on his desk. His eyes focused on particular on the new seal that sat upon its sheath. "So, you decided to try and keep the boy human for a little longer."

He looked up to the two in front of him, both Shiro and Yukio having their arms crossed as they waited for him to finish his observations. Mephisto had told them that he wanted to know their outcome, so when they found a seal strong enough and safe enough to use on the sword, they informed him.

"You must understand that this won't be a permanent thing." Mephisto said giving them a smirk. "Eventually the flames will try to push through this seal as well and soon you'll be back where you started, only this time, with two choices. I don't even know how well this seal will keep everything back now that he has come to unleash his flames."

Yukio narrowed his eyes at the headmaster. "If we were looking for feedback on this, we would have asked. The only reason you were informed is because you wanted us to once we decided on our choice."

Mephisto sighed. "Yes I suppose that is the case now, isn't it? Alright, you've informed me, but you really should take my words to heart."

As he spoke, Shiro reached forward and snached the sword off the desk. Both him and Yukio turned and left the room without even a fleeting glance at the man behind the desk.

Mephisto sighed and leaned back in his chair, intertwining his fingers as he watched them go. Taking another deep breath and closing his eyes, he hummed out. "Poor little brother, put through all this because they are determined not to see you change. However, what they don't realize is that perhaps the most probable option for the boy's health is to let him change into what they don''t want."

Opening his eyes to continue looking at the door to his office. "Yes, how long will it take you to realize that?"

* * *

A bird chirped outside as the sun's light streamed through the window. On the bed, a small face scrunched up when the sun hit his face before he slowly began opening his eyes. Despite the fact he had just woken up, the boy still felt tired.

Letting his tired gaze sweep through the room, he realized with confusion he was not on the roof like he last remembered. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, he began to push himself up only to let out a soft moan at the soreness of his body. Biting his lip, he continued to push through it only to pause when he felt a soft nose poke his arm. Looking down, Rin saw Kuro looking back up at him.

"...Kuro? W-What happened to the big monster?" Rin asked, not caring he was asking this to a cat. The cat sidhe seemed as though it understood him because a look of worry entered its eyes and it began to nudge him again.

"What?" Rin laughed a little at the cat, ignoring the slight cough that appeared in his chest from the laugh.

 **"...L-...-ack…..-w-..."** Rin paused when he thought he heard an echoing voice in his head but it was gone in seconds. He must still be tired, he decided as he shook his head. Kuro continued to nudge him with his nose and he didn't hear any other sign of the voice as Kuro meowed at him when Rin didn't understand what the cat sidhe was wanting him to do.

The door suddenly opening made Rin look up to see Shiro walking in and his eyes lit up.

"Dad!"

Shiro jumped at the sound of Rin's voice but soon a smile broke out along his lips and he rushed to embrace his youngest when he saw him sitting up in the bed.

"Rin! Oh my dear boy, I'm so glad you're all better!" Shiro exclaimed, pulling away to place his hand on the boy's forehead. He seemed to smile even wider when he felt no heat from the boy's skin. "Oh thank god!"

"Dad!" Rin exclaimed, trying to escape his father's hold, pushing against his chest with a laugh. He didn't push too hard knowing he did have a lot of strength in his small limbs but still put enough to try and get away. "Dad! Stop!"

Shiro smiled and pulled away again, letting Rin pull out of his arms. "I'm sorry, my boy, but you've been so sick for the last few days. To see you all better is fantastic!"

At Shiro's words, Rin furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head in confusion. "Sick? Was it because of the big monster?"

Shiro took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm himself down. He knew relatively what happened that day, as much as Shura and Yukio knew. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised by Rin's question, but the point stands that Rin should have never been in that situation to begin with. Preparing the lie, Shiro opened his eyes and looked at Rin who continued to stare at him in confusion.

"Rin," Shiro began. "What monster are you talking about?"

"The big monster from before!" Rin exclaimed. "I saw it in a room down stairs and it was surrounded by roots but then it disappeared! But, it came back and it chased me up to the roof and I was so scared! I called for Yukio and then I saw blue! And I was so scared!"

"Rin. Rin look at me." Rin turned his teary eyes up and looked into his father figure's eyes. "You were really sick, ok? That night, you dreamt all that, ok? There was no monster after you. You were just very sick and it gave you nightmares."

"But-" Rin could remember feeling the roof's stone beneath his hands and hearing every noise of the monster as though it was real.

"Rin, do you trust me?" Shiro asked, giving his son a sad look.

"Yes!" Rin exclaimed.

"Then trust me when I say the monster wasn't real." Shiro said, bringing Rin into his arms.

Rin clung to his shirt, tears still sitting in his eyes. "But...but what if...if th-the monster comes back? I-I've seen it twice!"

Shiro sighed and ran his hand through Rin's hair. "Don't worry, it won't come for you again. Both your brother and I will protect you."

Rin nodded into his chest and he tightened his grip on Shiro's shirt for a moment. After a few seconds, Shiro pulls away and looks down at Rin with a smile.

"Now, are you alright?" Rin nodded and Shiro continued. "Good. Is there anything else you'd like to ask before we get ready to go downstairs and get you something to eat?"

Rin opened his mouth, about to reply when the door suddenly opened again and Rin watched as a red-haired female he didn't recognize enter the room. He took noticed that she seemed to be wearing a swimsuit top without a shirt and Rin couldn't help but wonder why.

"Oi, Shir-" She paused in what she was going to saw when she saw Rin sitting up in bed staring at her. "Well, hello kid! Good to see you awake finally!"

"Hello." Rin replied. "Why are you wearing a swimsuit?"

Shiro froze from where he sat besides Rin on the bed. He had been about to ask Shura what she wanted when it clicked in his head that she did not where the most presentable clothing. While yes, Shiro did make jokes about hot women around the boys but that didn't mean he wanted his youngest to see Shura in her incredibly indecent outfits.

"Get out of here now!" Shiro exploded, standing up as he pointed at the door. "You can come back when you have a shirt on!"

"What!? What the hell do you mean old man!?" Shura growled. "There are no problems with me being here!"

"Yes there is if you're wearing that around him!" Shiro shouted back and he moved forward to push her out of the room. Shura was shouting at him as he pushed her out and Rin just watched in confusion. He turned to look at Kuro who seemed to be laughing at the scene and tilted his head at the cat.

"What is that about?"

* * *

Downstairs, Shiro watched as Rin ran back and forth in the kitchen, cooking up a small meal to eat. Shiro had told the boy he didn't want him to do so but Rin was stubborn and soon enough Shiro gave in. He supposed this was a good sign though, if Rin had the energy to cook his own meals then he must be better. Of course, what Mephisto said still rang in his ears. He knew that the seal wasn't permanent, if anything it will burn away faster this time than before, but to Shiro it was worth it.

Rin finished cooking up his small meal and came to sit at the table with Shiro and Shura, who now had on a coat due to Shiro's pushing. Kuro curled up next to Rin on the table as Rin began to eat his food.

"Where's Nii-san?" Rin asked a little after he began eating his meal.

"He's at school kiddo." Shiro laughed. "He still has to do that."

"Oh! Ok!" Rin replied with a smile. He was used to Yukio going to school and being home alone for the day. Only this time, he wasn't alone! He turned to look at Shura and smiled. "Hi! I'm Okumura Rin!"

Shura gave the kid a smile and nodded. "Hey, I'm Kirigakure Shura. I'm a friend of your dad and brother."

"Really! Cool! But, why haven't I met you before?"

Shura shrugged. "My line of work can get really busy, kiddo. I never really had the chance to just drop by for a visit."

"That's fine! At least we got to meet!" Rin smiled. "Will you be staying for a bit?"

Shura shrugged again. "Sure, why not. From what I hear, you're a great cook."

Rin's eyes shined at the praise and he nodded before taking another bite of his meal. This woman seemed nice even if he still didn't know why she was wearing a bathing suit.

"Hey dad?" Rin spoke up after a few moments where Shura and Shiro had taken time to talk.

"Yes, Rin?"

"Um...where are the others? Like...Yukio's club members? Are they at school too?"

"I would assume so, why?"

Rin bit his lip. "It's just...are they coming back? You said I was sick for a few days so...um...are they still here?"

"Do you mean to ask if they are still sleeping in the dorm building like you and Yukio?" Shiro supplied getting a hesitant nod from Rin. "Well, no, they left to their own homes while you were sick. But I'm sure they'll visit you if they have the time, so don't worry."

Rin smiled at the news. He was worried that if they were gone, they wouldn't want to come back. He thought of them all as his friends and he didn't want to lose his friends since he never really had any before now. He wondered if any of them visited when he was sick. He seemed to remember at one point have been comforted by a voice he didn't recognize yet he felt safe all the same. Of course, he might have actually known them if he wasn't sick. He decided to keep this information to himself, not wanting to make his father upset again if he was wrong.

He looked over at Shura who was taking a drink out of a can that reminded him of soda. Tilting his head, he spoke. "Miss Kirigakure?"

Shura waved her hand. "Ah, don't be so polite kid, just call me Shura. What do ya want to ask?"

"Um...I was just wondering that...if you're friends with my brother and my dad...if...um...if you wanted to be friends with me too?" Rin asked shyly.

Shura froze at stared at the boy for a few moments before a large grin broke out on her face and she laughed a bit. Reaching out, she ruffled Rin's navy hair as she replied. "Sure kid, I don't see why not!"

A smile grew on Rin's face and he nodded before returning to his meal. Once it was finished Shiro ushered the boy to the lounge area. "Alright, since you just got better I don't want you doing anything crazy today, ok? No running around with Kuro or anything close to that. I'm still upset that I let you cook."

"Aw! But I'll be bored!" Rin whined.

"Here, I'll keep you company." Shura said with a smile. "How about we play a board game or something? Go get whatever games you have and bring them back here for us to play."

"Ok!" With that Rin ran off.

Shiro looked at Shura a teasing glint in his eyes. "Keep the games PG."

"Oh, stop being so worried. It will be fine." She looked in the direction Rin ran off to. "Besides, the kid it too sweet and innocent, I doubt it would be that fun to say anything he wouldn't get."

"I would get it." Shiro huffed.

"And that's what makes it tempting, but I'll behave." Her gaze softened. "You got a good kid, Shiro."

Shiro smiled. "Thanks." With that the two looked to see Rin running back, arms full of games.

* * *

Yukio placed the key in the door and soon enough he was leaving the cram school hallway and was entering through the front door of the dorm building he was living in. He spent the day worrying about his brother as he learned, taught, and planned missions to take his students on for training sessions. He new his brother was getting better, the fever having started dropping when they placed the seal on the sword and he knew that Rin would be safe with Shiro, Shura, and Kuro there for him.

He started walking through the halls and paused when he heard voices coming from the lounge area of the dorm building. Turning to look in the room, Yukio's eyes widened when he saw Rin, Shiro, and Shura all sitting on the floor with a pile of cards next to them, Shura having the largest pile while Shiro had the smallest. Kuro was curled up, napping, on the couch behind Rin.

"Ok, ready?" Shiro asked as he placed his hand on his pile of cards just as the other two did. "One, two, three, go!" They each picked up the top card and flipped it over to the numbered side was facing up in the middle of their circle.

"Oh come on!" Shiro exclaimed when he saw he had the lowest number in the three cards. Both Shura and Rin laughed and Rin reached forward to take possession of all the cards since his was the highest number.

"Yay!" Rin shouted with joy.

"I think this game is rigged." Shiro grumbled as he and Shura waited for Rin to place his new cards at the bottom of his pile.

Shura laughed at him. "You're just a sore loser, right Rin?"

Rin nodded in agreement.

"Hey!" They just continued to laugh at the older man.

Yukio let out a chuckle from where he was standing and they all turned to look at him. Rin's eyes lit up at the sight of his brother and he scrambled to get up. He raced around the couch and charged into his brother's arms, Yukio having to brace himself at the impact from his brother.

"Yukio!" Rin exclaimed happily.

"Oh Rin," Yukio breathed out as he tightened his grip on his brother. "I'm so happy you're alright."

Rin pulled away and looked up at his older brother. "How are the others? Will they come to visit or will I get to see them again?"

Chuckling, Yukio replied. "Yes, they asked me how you were." It was true. The entire time Rin was sick they took notice of Yukio's tense attitude and they all figured it had something to do with Rin. Yukio had told them that Rin had just gotten a little ill and that he would be better in no time. "And I don't see why not. You all seemed to become friends so I'm sure they'll stop by or something."

"Yay!"

"Hey, Rin, why don't you go make dinner now that Yukio's here." Shiro spoke up. Rin looked at him before nodding and racing off to the kitchen.

"When did he wake up?" Yukio asked, looking at Shiro who had come to stand by his side along with Shura.

"This morning, a little while after you left for school." Shiro answered. "He was so scared at the thought of the naberius."

"What did you tell him?"

"Same thing I suppose you did the first time he saw it, that he dreamt it." Yukio nodded his head at the words in agreement.

"Are you two sure this is the right solution to this?" Shura asked, looking at the two of them. "I mean, what will you do when you can't keep a seal on the sword anymore? I mean, sure you don't have to unsheath the damn thing, but what about when Rin sees that his 'dreams' aren't so false?"

"Rin deserves the chance to be a child Shura." Yukio said. "We will deal with that outcome when it comes to it, but for now Rin shouldn't have to worry about demons and his blood line."

Shura sighed. "Alright, I mean, what do I know about raising a kid."

"Rin? What is it?" Yukio asked, a little afraid the young boy had heard their conversation. Rin didn't look like he showed any sign of hearing their conversation, but he did look like he wanted to ask a question.

"Um...I can't reach a bowl on the top shelf." Rin mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. All three let out sighs at the eight-year-old's question, relieved that he didn't seem to show any sign of hearing what they said.

"Come on kid," Shura said, moving forward. "I'll help you get the bowl. I want to taste your cooking, so faster we get what you need the faster you can cook, right?" She got a nod in return and she ruffed his hair. "Alright, come on."

The two left the room, however, no one noticed the confused and worried look Rin shot back at his brother before following Shura.


	15. Chapter 15

"Can I go out today? Like, to a park or something?"

Yukio looked up from the work he was working on at the table as he waited for Rin to finish cooking their breakfast. He was happy that Rin was no longer ill and had the added benefit of Rin's cooking returning. Yukio still had to go to school, but with Rin taking his classes online, he didn't have as many limitations.

"I don't know, Rin." Yukio muttered when Rin came up to him and placed his breakfast down in front of him after Yukio cleared up his space. "First I would want you to catch up on any lessons you've missed while you were sick. If you finish those and it's still light out I don't see why you can't go out. Of course," he looked to his brother who had a glint of determination in his eyes. "You'd have to take either Shura or dad with you."

"Ok!" Rin exclaimed, bouncing on his feet. He ate quickly and was soon rushing out of the room, passing Shiro as he ran. Shura wasn't staying in the building, having left yesterday when they finished dinner, but she explained she would stay in contact, especially if they ever needed someone to look after Rin if she was free.

Shiro laughed as he watched Rin rush by before taking a seat at the table, pulling up his own plate Rin had set down before he had eaten. "What has Rin all excited?"

Yukio gave Shiro a soft smile. "He asked if he could go out later today. I explained he could only if he caught up on his school work and if either you or Shura went with him."

"And he asked you before me?" Shiro gasped, putting a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. "That boy has no respect!"

Yukio's smile grew. "I think it's more along the line of he's been used to asking me about things while he's been here and I was in the room."

"Yeah, yeah." Shiro huffed, waving his hand dismissively. "I don't know if I'll be able to take him, I just got a call in and I don't know how long I'll be in for."

"It's alright, I'm sure Shura wouldn't mind looking after him."

With that said, the two finished eating their breakfast and as Yukio got ready to leave for school, grabbing the bento his brother had made the night before, he glanced into the lounge and found Rin sitting on one of the couches, his face in deep concentration as he stared at his laptop.

"I have to go now Rin. Behave alright?" Yukio received a nod from his brother and gave a smile before leaving through the front door of their dorm building.

Meanwhile, Shiro was calling Shura. When he heard her pick up and her questioning voice come through, he spoke.

"Hello Shura," He said. "Look, if you're not busy, do you think you can take Rin out to the park today? I got called in for a job, but I otherwise would do it myself."

A sigh came from the other side. _"Alright...I'll hang out with the brat."_

Shiro chuckled. "Oh, don't act like you don't like him! He's grown on you!"

 _"Yeah, yeah."_ But her voice was laced with amusement.

Shiro continued to chuckle for a bit before he grew serious. "By the way, you need to watch out when you take him out. I know we informed you of how Astaroth was there in Rin's room when he was sick, and if he was able to do that I don't doubt it that either he or any of the other demon kings will try to approach Rin or send demons after him, so be careful."

 _"Don't worry Old Man."_ Shura replied. " _I won't let those demons take him. If I see anything, I'll take care of it before it had the chance to get him."_

"Thanks." Shiro breathed out. "I might be gone by the time you get here, but you know your way around. Plus, Rin will also know to expect you. Bye." He received her own farewell before hanging up and entering the lounge where Rin was still working on his computer.

"Hey Rin." Shiro called out getting the boy's attention.

"Yeah?"

"So, Yukio told me how you want to go out to a park later today. Is that right?"

Rin smiled, eyes brightening. "Yeah! Will you be taking me?"

Shiro chuckled and shook his head. "Sadly, no. I have to go into work, but maybe next time. However, Shura will be taking you. She'll be over here later, ok?"

"Ok." Rin replied. "But, we can hang out later too, right? Maybe, you and me and Nii-san can all do something together!"

Shiro smiled widely and reached out to ruffle Rin's hair. "Alright, that sounds good to me!" Looking at a clock on the wall, he sighed and stood up. "Well, I better be going. Be good for Shura, alright Rin?"

"I will!" Rin shouted back. He watched as his father figure left out of the room and soon was out of the building, Shiro never noticing the slight frown on his face.

* * *

"Hey, don't run so fast, brat!" Shura shouted after Rin as he ran ahead of her when the park, which was mostly empty save for a few people here and there, came into view. Rin ignored her, rushing to the swings he could see. He knew she really wouldn't be by his side the entire time, more of just watching from a distance, but Rin was ok with that. As he jumped onto one of the swings, he let his mind wander into his thoughts.

Rin thought back to yesterday, when he had rushed back to get help from one of the other three because he couldn't reach a bowl on a high shelf. They didn't seem to realize it, but Rin had actually overheard the conversation between Shura and Yukio, at least the ends of it. He was confused by all they talked about.

He didn't know what his brother meant by "demons" and his "bloodline". Rin could guess, but at the same time he had no idea about what it could mean. Rin guessed that the demons were just bad people and other things like that, not real demons. He knew that demons weren't real, or at least that's what he was led to believe. But, his brother and his father told him they wouldn't lie to him, so they couldn't be, right?

He was also lost on the "bloodline" thing. From what he could guess, that had to deal with his family, but didn't that mean Yukio as well? He knew he was adopted, that was obvious even if he still counted Shiro as his father, but Yukio was still his brother and that means he is family by blood, right? So, what did Yukio mean by "his bloodline", his referring to Rin, yet not referring to himself. Did Rin not know something? This was all so frustrating and it made tears come to his eyes at the idea of it.

"Hey, are you alright?" A new, yet somehow familiar, voice spoke up next to Rin.

Rin blinked the tears from his eyes as he looked up to see a white and gray tipped-haired male with red eyes looking down at him from where he stopped swinging. The man was in no way familiar to Rin, yet he felt as if he knew him. His voice was even familiar but he didn't know why.

Rin looked away from him to try and find Shura only to see she was nowhere in sight. A frown grew on his lips at this realization and he was worried she left him here or something. He was tempted to get up and try to go find her, but he also didn't. Something in him made him want to stay near this older teen.

"Hey," The teen spoke again. "Can you hear me?"

Rin bit his lip and nodded. "Yes...but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

The teen smiled softly at him and took a seat in the swing besides Rin. "I won't hurt you, don't worry. You just looked upset, so I wanted to make sure you were, ok?" When Rin still didn't look at him the teen continued. "Ok, how about this, I'll introduce myself because then I won't be a stranger anymore. My name is Astaroth, and you are?"

Rin was silent. He knew he shouldn't trust strangers, but this teen had such a welcoming and familiar feeling around him. It reminded him of when he was with Yukio, but he didn't know why he got such a feeling from there other, yet he couldn't ignore it. If his instincts say the man is ok, then why didn't he go with them?

"...I'm Rin." Rin finally replied, still looking down at the ground.

Astaroth smile softly yet inside he was smirking. He knew Rin most likely felt the family bond and that's why he didn't seem so tense as a child should be with a stranger and that just made him feel like he's won against that fake "brother" from Rin's human half.

"Are you here alone?" Despite the question, Astaroth knew the answer. He had deliberately let a ghoul wander into the female exorcist's view so that she would chase after that instead of sticking by Rin.

"No."

"Then...is that why you are upset? 'Cause they aren't anywhere in sight?" Rin shook his head. He didn't know why he felt he could be so open with this teen he just met, but he just felt comfortable with him.

"No, I'm just...confused so that's making me mad."

"Why are you confused?"

Rin fidgeted in his swing before answering, clenching his fists. "It's my Nii-san and my dad." Astaroth fought down a growl at the titles. Neither of the two exorcists deserved to be called that by Rin. "They were talking with a friend and they said some weird things. I don't really understand them, but that might be because they might be older people things."

"Well, maybe I can help?" Astaroth offered. If he had the chance, he would get close to Rin. If he could do that then he might be able to get Rin to trust him over Yukio by the time he finally unleashed his power as a demon. "If it's something you don't understand, maybe you need some help?"

"I don't know. It's really weird."

"Eh...It's fine!" Astaroth waved off. "Come on, just try me."

Rin was quiet before speaking. "It's just...I heard them talking about stuff like demons and bloodlines, and I'm confused because I know demons aren't real, so they can't be talking about those kinds of demons. I also don't have any idea about the other thing."

Astaroth listened and knew he could instantly tell Rin about everything, but he also knew he needed to play his cards right. If he said everything here without any proof, Rin would think he was crazy and wouldn't want to trust him. For now, he would just spark Rin's interest.

"Well," Astaroth began. "For the demon thing, I suppose they could be talking about something outside of actual demons, but maybe they aren't."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked, curiosity filling his young eyes.

"Well, what if they are talking about real demons?" Astaroth offered making Rin tilt his head. "How about this, if you can figure out what they are talking about, I can help you if they won't."

"But demons aren't real, they wouldn't lie to me like that." Rin denied.

"Are you sure? Nothing you've come across says demon to you?" Seeing Rin furrow his eyebrows Astaroth continued. "If you need any help, I'll be here for you ok? See if you can get any more hints about what they are talking about."

"What about the other thing? I still don't get that." Rin pouted.

"The bloodline thing?" Astaroth received a nod. "Well...I have an idea, but I'm not positive about it, so give me some time to think about it ok? What I think might be true, but I can't be sure yet."

"Ok." Rin accepted his offer. He didn't feel like this guy was mean so he didn't see why he shouldn't trust him. "But...how will I talk to you again?"

Astaroth smiled and reached into a pocket of his jeans. "Here." Taking his hand out, sitting in his hand was a small black stone. What Astaroth knew Rin couldn't see, were the many coal tar sitting upon it. "Take this and if you ever want to talk to me, just whisper my name on it, and I'll be there soon. Also, make sure you do it when you're alone."

"Why?"

"Well, I don't know how much your family will like me since they don't really know me." Astaroth said, even though in his head he was thinking about how Rin's real family was waiting for the chance to take Rin back to Gehenna where he belonged. "Besides, we are investigating your brother and dad, it would be bad if we were found out before we could get answers, right?"

"That makes sense." Rin mumbled, taking the offered rock and turning it in his hands. It felt both warm and cold to him and every so often he felt like he could see something moving on it before it was still again.

Astaroth's ears perked up when he heard a coal tar pass by him. That was his cue to leave since that meant the exorcist would be returning from the little adventure he sent her on.

Standing up, Astaroth looked down at Rin who looked back up in return. "I have to go now. Keep this meeting a secret and don't let that rock get taken from you."

Rin nodded and placed the rock in his own pocket before smiling back up at Astaroth. "Thank you for trying to help me."

Astaroth smiled back and reached out to ruffle Rin's hair. "Ah...it was nothing. If you need me, don't forget to call me, ok?"

"Oh! I...uh...I live in the big empty building." Rin suddenly shouted. "Um...I think Nii-san said they are called a dorm building."

"The abandoned dorm?" Astaroth offered, even if he already knew the answer, and got a nod in return. "Thanks. See you around!" With that he walked off with a wave.

"Bye!" Rin called after him. He watched Astaroth walk away for a bit before looking away and begin swinging again. That man was very nice to him and maybe they would be able to figure out just what was being kept from Rin.

"Rin!" Rin looked towards the sound of his name being called and found Shura running towards him.

Shura watched Rin give a wave to her and sighed. She had seen a ghoul passing by, its eyes seemingly set on Rin. She was quick to rush towards it, only to find that instead of fighting back, the demon dashed away from the park, passing through a group of trees that were near it. She gave to the chase, not wanting to risk letting it loose and it harming someone.

It wasn't long before she caught up to it and found it let her to an open area full of ghouls. From what she could guess, there was someone behind this, but she could see any sign of the person anywhere near her. She hoped Rin was ok and she also knew that, from simply talking with the kid, Rin wouldn't go with someone trying to kidnap him without a fight.

When she had finished up exorcising the ghouls, she rushed back to the park as quickly as she could and breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of Rin still on the swings. After calling out his name, she rushed to his side and spoke.

"Alright kid, I think it's time we head back, alright?" Rin frowned at her words.

"Aww!" Rin whined. "Do we have to go?"

"Yeah, sorry." Shura replied. "How about we get some ice cream or something on the way back though?"

Rin seemed to contemplate it before nodding. "Ok!" and hopped off the swing.

Shura looked him over as he walked next to her, looking for any sign that something had happened while she was gone. She noticed a coal tar sitting on Rin's sleeve and reached forward to brush it off. Rin paused at her gesture and tilted his head at her.

"You had a fly on you." Shura replied. Rin shrugged, accepting the excuse and they continued on their way.

* * *

"So, I see you've decided to continue to meddle in Rin's life."

Astaroth smirked, not even looking at his brother. "As if you have any right to say that." He looked at Mephisto. "Seeing as you were the one who put him in this situation."

"He would be dead if I hadn't helped out." Mephisto pointed out.

Astaroth scoffed. "Please, you could have easily taken him away and hid him but you just wanted entertainment and a reason to make father angry."

"Perhaps." Mephisto shrugged. "But at least I haven't been following the boy wherever he goes."

"I doubt that. I feel like you had some way to keep track of our brother." Astaroth glanced at Mephisto. "Besides, you were the one who left the opening in the wards incase you wanted to have one of us here. I just took up that offer."

"I see and what are you planning on doing now that our dear brother trusts you?" Mephisto asked with a hum.

"Well," Astaroth began. "I'm hoping that I'll be able to tell him the truth. Slowly of course, he is still young and if everything happened at once, well something bad could happen. So I'll start slowly, introduce him to demons if I get the chance and eventually, tell him his heritage. If I can get him to trust me over those exorcists, then that is fantastic."

Mephisto hummed in reply and Astaroth shot him a look before continuing. "You know, I've been thinking. Maybe not right away but we should send his 'brother' a message. Something that shows we won't be sitting back for long when it comes to Rin. Sooner or later, we will have him."

"And what do you suppose to should to to inform him of that." Mephisto asked.

"Well, I can tell you were planning something already." Astaroth said, crossing his arms. "I was just thinking of giving a warning, no killing or fatally wounding, just a little pain. What about you?"

"I suppose I can help out." Mephisto replied. "I was thinking of having Amaimon visit one day. I believe he could help you with delivering your message. Of all our dear brothers he would be the easiest one that would listen to us."

"Mainly you." Astaroth replied. "I don't really care when it is done, so I'll leave that part to you since I have my own agenda now."

"So you're just going to let me work on your own plans instead of you doing it yourself?"

"Oh come now, Sammy!" Mephisto frowned at the name. "I'm sure you'll be able to work it into whatever plans you have going on! So, I'll leave it to you!" With that Astaroth walked away from Mephisto who sighed, resting his head in his hands.

"I swear, sometimes my brothers are so troublesome."


	16. Chapter 16

Rin raced, full of sugar from the ice-cream they had gotten before they returned, ahead of Shura as they neared the dorm's entrance, his hand in his pocket as he fingered the stone he was given. As he went to open the door, he couldn't help but take notice of a small tremble that went through the small rock and paused. Blinking, Rin looked down to his pocket in confusion. Why did it do that? Could the rock not go inside?

He frowned at that thought. He wanted the rock to go inside, that way he wouldn't lose it. At that moment, the trembling stopped and Rin was able to step into the building without any problems.

Behind him, Shura frowned and spared a glance towards the talisman that was hung up out of sight. It was there to help enhance the wards they placed on the building, put there every since Astaroth was able to get into the building when Rin was sick. Typically, Rin shouldn't have stopped at the door the way he had, as if he wasn't able to enter. The only reason for that would have been if his demon blood was acting up, but as far as Shura knew, his blood was still inactive. There should have been no reason for him to stop.

Her eyes looked to Rin, who was now dashing down the hall, trying to see if there was any sign of a demon on him. She thought back to the moment he had paused outside the door and tried to think if she saw a demon on him or something, not that it should have mattered but she would rather be safe than sorry. Again her mind came up blank.

Filing the thought away, she decided to save the incident for the moment she would tell Shiro and Yukio about everything that had happened today. Shura walked into the lounge area, listening as Rin raced up the stairs nearby, before she settled down into one of the seats with a sigh.

Taking another deep breath, she pulled out her phone and dialed in a familiar number. Holding it up to her ear, she listened to the ringing until the phone let out the sound of the owner's voicemail. After the beep was heard, she spoke.

"Oi, Shiro, listen. Whenever you hear this, which I'm assuming will be at the end of your mission, you need to get back to the dorms as soon as possible. This is about Rin. Something happened at the park that I need to tell you and Yukio in person, so get here as soon as possible. Bye."

With that Shura hung up. Taking another deep breath, she waited a few moments before sending a similar message to Yukio. She reminded the teen not to skip his classes, knowing how important they were to the younger exorcist, but still told him to get back as soon as possible.

Now, she just had to wait.

* * *

Rin raced through the halls and up to his and Yukio's room. Once he was inside, he took the small rock out of his pocket and looked at it in his hand, thinking about what that man, Astaroth, had told him. The man seemed convinced that maybe demons were real, but that would be silly, right? Yukio and Shiro had both told Rin that demons weren't real, at least not the ones he was thinking about. Yukio had also told him they wouldn't keep any more secrets from him...but...

...there was still that seed of doubt in his mind.

Looking up from the rock, Rin let his eyes drift over the room. His eyes fell on the desk in the room and Rin slowly made his way to the wooden structure. Slipping the small rock back into his pocket, Rin bit his lip as his hand reached out to grasp the handle of one of the drawers, grasping it in his sweaty hand.

He didn't know why he was so curious or why he was so determined to see if there was anything to prove his thoughts. Yet, he felt like if he didn't try to find out what was going on, he might end up missing something very important to his life, but he didn't know why.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Rin slowly pulled the drawer open, only to frown when he didn't see anything of importance. He saw textbooks and notebooks, yet nothing that would help him look into the sudden questions in his mind. He was about to close the drawer when a closer look to the books brought his attention to one in particular. It was beneath two other books and Rin couldn't even see the title, yet he knew this was no regular textbook.

Reaching out, Rin took the textbook in hand and looked over the cover. The words did not see to relate to anything he knew that his brother had homework on, let alone even seen his brother with this textbook out to do work. The eight-year-old opened up the book and began to skim through the pages, his eyes taking in the words and pictures. The beginning of the book seemed to have things on different plants, yet as he flipped further into the book, Rin took notice of the odd creatures he was seeing.

Suddenly he gasped, and Rin flipped back to a previous page. There, printed on one of the pages, was a creature similar to the one he had seen in his dreams. Its skin was just as brown and gray as the one in his dreams and it looked just as terrifying.

But why would Yukio have something like this? Rin knew he never explained what the monster looked like to Yukio, yet here was something that looked so similar to it. Yukio told him it wasn't real, but why would he have something about it then? Rin tried to justify it, saying in his head that maybe since Yukio didn't know what he was talking about, he didn't know that Rin was telling the truth.

Yeah that had to be it.

But, Rin still couldn't shake away the feeling that something wasn't right about that thought.

Shaking slightly, Rin let his eyes look to the text that was besides the picture. He read over each word, trying to figure out something, but there were many words he didn't understand or know how they applied to the picture. However, his eyes did catch one word he could read and understand. There, right before his eyes, was the word "demon". Rin tried to find something around the word that said the monster wasn't a demon, but everything he could understand either didn't help or it helped say that this thing was a demon.

But why would Yukio have a book on demons, when he said demons weren't real? Rin bit his lip, his trembling growing worse at the thought of his brother lying to him again.

 _'It's just a book.'_  Rin told himself.  _'Maybe, Nii-san just wants to read about these things. This doesn't mean he lied to you.'_

Rin looked further into the book with shaking hands, his eyes looking over all the pictures rather than the words. He didn't recognize many of the other things he saw, but he couldn't deny there was a picture every so often that sparked a thought in his mind, as if he had seen it before.

_THUMP!_

The book fell to the ground when Rin's trembling hands lost their grip on it. His legs felt weak as he wide eyes stared at the two pictures that were in the book. They were both pictures of Kuro, or at least, they looked like Kuro, only one had one tail while the other picture had two. His mind went numb as he tried to comprehend the fact that there was a picture of Kuro in a book that had demons in it. Why? Why would Kuro be in there? He wasn't a demon too, right?

Rin fell to the ground and scrambled to get a look at the text besides the pictures. There, right before him, was the word he understood. "Demon" was printed in the paragraph besides the picture. He struggled to justify it in his mind, struggled to explain why Kuro looked so much like the demons in the book. Maybe he just looked that way, and it was just coincidence. But, just like before, that doubt remained.

Unable to take anymore, despite the biting curiosity beneath his skin, Rin closed the book and returned it to the drawer, placing it beneath the other books just as it had been before. With deep breaths, Rin reached back into his pocket and took out the small rock. He wanted to talk to Astaroth so bad, but he couldn't do it now, not when someone could see. Fighting the urge to call him, Rin slipped the rock back in his pocket, just in time for a soft meow to come from the door.

"K-Kuro!" Rin exclaimed, both happy and hesitant at the sight of the cat walking into the room.

Kuro tilted his head the young boy, confused at his hesitance. He sniffed the air and twitched his ears, trying to find something wrong with the room or the boy. His eyes narrowed on the small amount of coal tars floating in the room, mostly by Rin. Kuro knew it was possible for the coal tars to slip into the building, but there were still quite a few in here despite the wards against rot demons being up. The wards had been put up when Astaroth came in, and while they were nothing against a demon king, they should at least keep the coal tars out. Kuro would check on the around the room later to be sure.

Otherwise, Kuro lept towards Rin, getting the coal tar away from the boy while at the same time seemingly just looking for attention. Rin smiled at the cat, letting his worries disappear when Kuro rubbed up against him and purred.

* * *

"So you're saying a ghoul purposely lured you away from Rin?" Shiro asked as he and Yukio listened to Shura explain what had happened at the park. Both had rushed back to the dorms when they were free, determined to know what had happened to their boy. "Yet there was nothing wrong with him when you got back?"

"There was only a coal tar on his sleeve." Shura replied with a nod. "But that's not odd since those things are like flies. The only really odd thing after that was that when we got back, Rin paused outside of the doors like he couldn't go inside."

"Do you think the wards were affecting him?" Yukio asked, worry evident in his eyes.

"That's what I thought, but after a few seconds he walking through the door like nothing happened."

"But there was nothing on him?" Shiro asked.

Shura shook her head, "Not that I saw."

"But why? Why would you get pulled away from him at the park for no reason? He can't see demons, so they couldn't do anything other than maybe try to give him a temptaint, yet you said there were no wounds. So why?" Yukio muttered, trying to understand the reasons behind the demon's actions.

"A demon king." Shiro spoke up getting them to turn to them. "I wouldn't be surprised if Astaroth made another go at Rin, and with how powerful demon kings are, it doesn't matter if Rin can see demons or not."

"That brat should know better then to listen to strangers." Shura huffed.

"That might not matter to demons." Yukio mumbled, thinking back to that night when Astaroth had appeared in their room. He thought of how Rin had relaxed at the Demon King's touch without any type of protest. If there was that reaction even when Rin was awake, then Astaroth would have no trouble talking to Rin out in the open like that.

"What do we do about it?" Shura asked, crossing her arms and looking at the two before her.

"We need to keep a better eye on Rin when we go out, to try not to loose him. We can't confine him here, but we have to try not to let him go out alone. I don't want to risk those demons getting a hold of Rin and trying to bring him to Gehenna."

What they didn't know, was that right outside the room they were talking in, was Rin. He didn't focus to much on the entire context of the conversation, but what he did focus on what that they were talking about demons as if they existed. They said two specific names of demons, one of them being the guy he met. Did this mean his father and brother lied to him?

Placing his hand in his pant pocket, he fingered the rock in there. Tonight, he would call Astaroth and get his answer. Tonight, he would find out the truth.

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Rin slowly crept into the empty room. Instead of doing this somewhere obvious, Rin had fled to one of the rooms on a random floor of the dorm building so there would be a greater chance of not being found. Moonlight streamed in from the windows and Rin knew that both Yukio and Kuro were asleep. Even if one of them woke up, he would already be long gone.

Standing near the windows, Rin bit his lip before holding the rock he had clenched in one hand up to his face.

"Astaroth." Rin whispered quietly to the rock and clenching his eyes shut. After a few seconds of silence, Rin opened his eyes only to jump away from the window when he saw Astaroth sitting outside of it. Rin reached out and opened the window, but Astaroth didn't jump in right away. He pointed to a small strip of paper outside the window instead.

"Can you take that off? I doesn't bother me, but if I come in then the paper might get ruined and we'll be found out." Astaroth said.

Nodding, Rin quickly rushed forward to untape the paper from the wall, his hand tingling when it came in contact with the paper. Astaroth slipped inside when it was off and sat on the window ledge, smiling at Rin.

"So, you figure anything out?" He asked.

Rin fidgeted where he stood, nervous about answering, before nodding his head and opening his mouth. "...Are...Are you a demon?"

Astaroth blinked at the question before letting out a chuckle. "Ah, so you figured that out huh?" At Rin's stare, he nodded. "Yes, my name is Astaroth, Demon King of Rot."

"Are you bad?" Rin asked, looking the demon over.

"Well, that depends." Astaroth sighed. "To some people, demons are always bad, but in reality, demons are just like people. You know how some people are bad and some people are good?" He received a nod. "Demons are the same. Sometimes we had to be bad but most of us are good. Do you trust me Rin?"

Rin bit his lip. He knew he shouldn't but this man...demon...felt so safe to him. Not only that, but he was actually telling Rin the truth, unlike some other people he knew.

Taking a deep breath, Rin looked the demon in the eyes and nodded. "Yes, I trust you. Can you please teach me about demons?"

Astaroth smiled. "I'd be glad to."


	17. Chapter 17

"So you'll be alright while we're gone right?" Yukio asked as he threw his bag over his shoulder.

Rin huffed as he crossed his arms. "Yes, I'll be fine. Jeez, you don't need to ask me every single time you leave."

"I know but I just want to be sure." Yukio chuckled as he reached out and ruffled his brother's hair. Rin swatted his hand away and Yukio continued. "Remember to get your work done by the time I return so that we can go over it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Rin replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Ok, behave." Yukio chuckled before turning to leave the building. As he closed the door behind him, he couldn't help but let out a sigh and his eyes traveled upwards. His gaze followed the form of Kuro moving across the rooftop before the cat sidhe scaled the building down to one of the nearby trees.

Kuro had been in the mood to explore today, at least according to Shiro, so the Paladin had asked him to look around the building for any demons before he left. It's been a few weeks since the park incident and they've all kept their eyes out for any sign of Astaroth or any other demon coming after his brother, but so far it's all been relatively quiet with the exception of a few coal tars.

Yukio furrowed his eyebrows as he continued to head to school. His brother had been rather odd lately. He's caught Rin giving himself as well as Shiro and Shura odd looks every so often, only to act like nothing happened when he was caught. He also took notice of his watching Kuro more than usual as well. He still plays with the cat sidhe, that hasn't changed, but there would be many times when he would just watch Kuro, as if looking for something. His eyes would follow his outline and Yukio would catch him focusing on the small horns and the extra tail, both which should be usually dismissed if they have a belief or connection with the demon or even unnoticable by normal people, but Rin would distinctly focus on them.

Not only that but apparently Shura sometimes caught Rin staring at the small wards they placed around the building. She said it appeared he'd be reading them, as if trying to understand their purpose from the few chants listened on the paper. He knew Rin was curious and Yukio figured that his brother would more than likely question the papers, but to do it over and over, even going after the ones in well hidden spots, said something.

Did Rin know something? Did Rin discover some part of the exorcist world that they had been trying to keep from him? But, that means Rin would have had to come in contact with something that would have given him enough information to even think about trying to look into this world. But that would be impossible...right?

Shaking his head, Yukio casts one last look at the dorm building before continuing on his way to his school, hoping the walk there will help clear his head for the time being.

* * *

Rin watched his brother walk away from the building from a window in one of the upper level rooms. He caughts sight of Kuro disappearing into the trees to the right of the building before letting his eyes return to watching his brother. Once Yukio was out of his sight, Rin turned back to the room and pulled out the rock he had been given to call upon his teacher.

Ever since he had accept the Demon King's deal, Rin found he had learned more about the world of exorcists and demons then he had ever hoped to learn before. Of course it had been little by little, since they couldn't exactly set a specific date each week, having to work around the others in order to meet. The eight-year-old had been careful with working around his family and Shura for the past few weeks, and so far he's been able to keep his lessons from them. He's even been able to keep these things from Kuro, surprisingly, and Rin hopes to keep it going on for as long as he can. He knew that if Yukio or Shiro ever found out about what he was doing, they would put a stop to it instantly, but Rin was tired of being left in the dark about things.

"Astaroth." He muttered out as he clutched the rock before running over to the window and, after checking it was safe, he opened it. He had already taken the ward off of this one, the paper sitting on the table, and he was prepared to stick it back up once his teacher was here.

"Hey there kid." Rin looked up and smiled when he saw Astaroth sitting on the window. The light grey haired man jumped into the window and Rin ran to slap the ward back into its spot on the wall.

Astaroth nodded approvingly as he ruffled Rin's hair, getting a smile from the boy. "Nice, very well done. I doubt it was off long enough for anything to seem off if they have a sensor or something."

He sat down, crossed-legged on the floor, and motioned for Rin to sit in front of him. Giving Rin a smile, he leaned against his palm and asked. "Alright, so before you tell me what you've learned, first we have to review what you've already learned, ok?"

Rin nodded his head, his smile never leaving his lips.

Astaroth's own smile grew even bigger. "Good. Now, let's see what you can remember. First, what are the two realms?"

"Ok!" Rin replied before taking a deep breath. "There are two realms, Gehenna and Assiah. Assiah is Earth, the place humans live on. Gehenna is where the demons live."

"That's right." Astaroth nodded. "Now, who lives on Assiah?"

"Um...besides normal people, Assiah also has lots of demons. Because demons can cause problems, there are exorcists who fight the bad demons. The exorcists can do lots of different things, like shoot guns or use swords or be doctors, to fight the demons. They have lots of spells and prayers to fight demons too, and most people don't know about them since they're supposed to be a secret."

"Are all demons bad?"

Rin shook his head. "No, most demons just try to live their live, but the exorcists don't think that. They just think they're bad."

"Good." Astaroth said, his eyes reflecting his joy at Rin's responses. "Now, what about Gehenna."

Rin bit his lip in thought. "Gehenna is where the demons live and where they come from if they live in Assiah. There are lots of different types of demons, each having different amounts of power compared to others. Coal tar...er...you said they look like flies?...well they are the weakest. The strongest is Satan, the king of Gehenna."

"Is Satan bad?" Astaroth asked.

"No, Assiah just thinks he is, but he just has a lot of power and like to protect his own. He also is prone to anger."

Astaroth chuckled at Rin's reply, the answer being a small summary of the way he had described Satan to him. It was nice to see Rin trusted him enough to take his word for that, despite his initial doubts due to the way he was raised.

"Good, you're doing really well." Astaroth said. "Now, who's the strongest besides Satan?"

"Well, there is eight Demon Kings." Rin replied. "Um...they are water, fire, light, time...um...bugs, earth, spirit and air,...and rot! That one's you!"

"That's right." Astaroth chuckled. He hadn't told Rin the names of the others yet, figuring it would have been a lot to remember for the boy. He figured when he finally told Rin about the connections between him and the others as a family, he'd tell him their names. Of course, he'd wait to tell Rin. He needed something to happen first and he didn't know when it would.

"Alright!" Astaroth clapped his hands. "It's good to see you've remembered the important details of out past meetings. Now, I gave you homework to bring back to me, tell me what you learned."

Rin nodded his head. "I looked at the wards to learn more about them. I read them and a lot of them seemed to have warnings on them and looked like they wanted to keep stuff away."

"Very good. You're right. The wards that have been placed around this building are made to keep weak demons out and to at least send a warning to either stronger demons or those who set the wards. If they get triggered by a strong demon, it can either hurt them slightly or just simply burn up and set off a signal that a stronger demon got passed. Of course, if they are weak enough, they might not even send a signal and the exorcist will only know after they return and find the papers destroyed." Astaroth could see that Rin was soaking in every word he spoke. It made him so joyful to know that he could educate his youngest brother in such a way. "Now-"

Astaroth was taken aback when Rin suddenly gasped, his eyes flashing and shooting to look at the spot just above Astaroth's shoulder- right at the spot Astaroth knew a coal tar was sitting.

"What is it Rin?" Astaroth asked when he saw a suddenly confused look overcoming Rin's face.

"I...I thought I saw something over your shoulder. I...I guess it was just a fly."

Astaroth saw the almost sad look on Rin's face and silently cursed the two exorcists that claimed to be looking after his brother. It was their fault Rin doubted what he saw. "No, you did not see a fly. Focus again."

He saw confusio flicker in the boy's eyes before he followed Astaroth's orders and his eyes narrowed in concentration. Astaroth could almost see the way the flames in the boy's blood were trying to spark in his eyes, but where only able to give off a soft shock, not fully lighting, as Rin gasped again.

"It's back!" Rin gapped. "I see it! I see it!...wait...AW! No, its gone again!"

Astaroth chuckled as Rin returned to focusing and spoke up. "Hang on Rin. First off, I want to tell you that what you just saw was a demon. In fact, it was a coal tar."

"Really! I can finally see demons!"

"Yes, but first, do you remember the two ways a person is able to see demons?" Astaroth asked, keeping back his smirk. This was it, this was his chance to tell Rin and start to bring him back to his true home.

"Um…" Rin thought for a few moments, his mind still whirling from the fact he finally saw a demon with his own choice. "Oh! You can either get a demon wound, a temptaint, or you can be half demon!" He smiled for a few seconds, proud that he had remembered before his eyes grew large. "Wait! When did a demon hurt me?!" His large eyes turned to Astaroth in worry and Astaroth shook his head.

"Calm down, calm down you never got hurt by a demon." He replied watching as Rin relaxed at his words and relaxed even further when he placed his hand on his head, Astaroth letting out a calming air himself.

"But...but that means…" Rin trailed off, not able to believe what needed to be said.

"Hey, Rin, do you remember how back when we first met, you were confused about two things?" After a few seconds of thinking, Rin nodded. "Right, ok...so remember one was about 'bloodlines'? And I told you I had an idea, but I needed to see if I could prove it first?" He received another nod. "Well, this is what I thought. Rin...I think you're a half demon."

"But…" Rin paused, his face showing how distraught he was. "...does this mean...Yukio is a half-demon?"

Astaroth shook his head. "No, he's not. I've seen him and I know he's not."

"So...we aren't really brothers?" Tears came into Rin's eyes at this thought. He always knew Shiro wasn't his real dad, not with the way he spoke about his mother and how he would sometimes catch the way he and Yukio spoke to each other. However, he always thought that Yukio was actually his blood relative, but the thought that he isn't…

"Now, now I said you're half demon!" Astaroth quickly spoke, hoping to comfort his brother. As much as he hated the exorcists, he hated the idea of making Rin cry more. "That means that you two both have the same parent, your mother right from what you've told me?" Rin nodded, remembering how when Astaroth had asked him if he remembered his mother he replied no, but Yukio did. "That just means you have a different dad than he does, ok? You guys are still brothers!"

Rin sniffed, whipping his nose with his arm. "..ok."

Astaroth breathed out a sigh of relief, happy he was able to keep his brother from crying.

"Who's my other dad then?" Rin asked, looking up at Astaroth. "Is there a way to tell?"

Astaroth paused a moment to frown at the 'other dad' part, but let it slide so he could reply. "Well, it can be a little difficult, especially if your dad is a relatively low class demon. Most half-demon's with those parent types only get the basic fast healing and talking to demons thing. However, if your dad is powerful, then you might have power we can trace back to them. However, we need to wait for your whole demon blood to awaken for that to happen."

Rin sighed at the thought of waiting. "But I want to know now!"

Astaroth shook his head. "No, if you push too much you risk only unleashing your power and your actual demon side later on. If you do that, you can get sick since a human body is not meant for demon power, no matter how weak. We will do it slowly, unless I can find a way to unseal your power and demon half at the same time, understood?"

Rin huffed. "Fine."

"Good."

"Hey, Astaroth?" Rin asked after a few seconds of silence. "Who is your family?"

"Me?" Astaroth hummed, even though he already expected this question. Of course, he needed to be care with his response since he couldn't tell Rin who he was just yet. "I have a big family. I never really knew my mother, but I know my dad. I also have eight brothers. Er...half brothers really."

"Wow! Really?! Who are they?!" Rin's eyes were shining, his previous sadness gone.

"Well, you already learned about them! My brother's are the other Demon Kings and my dad is Satan."

"Really?" Rin was shocked. "I thought kings were always just friends or something! Can you tell me about them!? Please~?!"

Astaroth chuckled. "Alright, Alright. So I already told you about my dad, so I'll talk about my brothers. First there is Lucifer. He's the Demon King of Light and probably the most mature out of all of us. He's also the oldest. Next is Samael, Demon King of Time. He's pretty...sly and likes to keep himself entertained. Then is Azazel, Demon King of Spirits and Air. He's really quiet but really smart and kind. You'd like him. Oh! After him is Beelzebub, Demon King of Insects. He's just really straight forward honestly and I think he sometimes forgets to blink."

That got a chuckle out of Rin.

Astaroth continued. "Ok, after him is Egyn, Demon King of Water. He's such a mother hen and worries so much! It can get annoying at times. Ok...um...oh! Then It's Iblis, Demon King of Fire. He's a hot head and likes to fight. He and Egyn fight alot, but we know they love each other. My last brother is Amaimon, Demon King of Earth. He's pretty childish at times, and can get bored really easily. Honestly he's such a child!"

Rin laughed again, his eyes still shining. He looked like he was thinking for a few seconds before he gasped. "Wait! You have one more brother! You said you have eight brothers, but counting you there are eight Demon Kings! You haven't told me your last brother!"

"Alright, Alright, calm down. I'll tell you." Astaroth said. "See...the thing about him is that...I don't know my youngest brother."

"Huh?"

"Well...I know who he is, but he doesn't know who he is. My youngest brother doesn't know he's my brother and...I can't tell him until he figures it out for himself." Astaroth sighed. "I have to wait until he awakens his demon side before I can tell him."

Rin frowned before running forward and pulling Astaroth into a hug. "I'm sorry." He mumbled into Astaroth's chest. "I bet he'd love you as a brother. You'll meet soon."

Astaroth smiled a soft smile as he wrapped one arm around Rin and placed the other on his head. "Yeah, I'm sure I will."

After a few seconds, Rin pulled away and fidgeted a while before asked. "Will I ever get to meet one of your brothers?"

Astaroth shrugged. "Maybe. Who knows. Now, before we lose any more time, let me teach you about different abilities demons have so when your blood awakens, we can try to see who your dad is."

"Ok!"

* * *

"So? Will you help out?" Mephisto asked the green haired demon.

"Hmmm…." The demon hummed around his lollipop. "I don't know. He doesn't seem very interesting."

"You haven't even met him yet." Mephisto replied. "Trust me, I'm sure you'll love our dear little otouto."

"I don't know."

Mephisto sighed. "Why don't you just meet him. I'll make sure you'll be able to do so without dealing with any exorcists. If you don't like him, then you don't have to do anything."

"Hmmm….ok. Will I get to play with him brother?"

"No, he's too young and his powers are locked away."

"Awww…"

"Don't worry, if you decided you like him and want to play with him in the future, then you can help us bring out his blood, ok?"

"Ok." The demon finished the lollipop with a crunch. "Can I go play now?"

"Fine, but don't cause too much damage, Amaimon."

Amaimon hummed as he tilted his head to the side. "I try big brother."


End file.
